A   JtOYAL 
KNIGHT 


ISABELLA  MACFARLANE 


A   ROYAL   KNIGHT 


ROYAL  KNIGHT 

A  Tale  of  Nuremberg 


BY 


ISABELLA  MACFARLANE 


G.  W.  DILLINGHAM   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,    1905,    BY 

G.  W.  DILLINGHAM  COMPANY 

Issued  March,  1905 


A  Royal  Knight 


CONTENTS. 

I  9 

II  19 

III  26 

IV  34 

V  43 

VI  52 

VII  55 

VIII  63 

IX  74 

X  79 

XI 84 

XII  96 

XIII  101 

XIV  103 

XV 113 

XVI  119 

XVII  127 

XVIII  136 

XIX  142 

XX  154 

XXI  162 

XXII  172 

XXIII  175 

XXIV  180 

XXV  188 

XXVI  194 

XXVII  201 

XXVIII  208 

XXIX  214 

XXX  223 

XXXI  235 

XXXII  243 

XXXIII  251 

XXXIV  256 

XXXV  264 


2137191 


CHAPTER  I. 

It  was  a  gala  day  in  Nuremberg. 

From  early  morn  the  city  had  been  all  astir. 
"When  the  May  sun  arose  in  cloudless  splendor,  and 
filled  the  valley  of  the  Pegnitz  with  a  flood  of  ex- 
hilarating light,  the  streets  had  already  begun  to 
show  signs  of  unwonted  bustle  and  excitement. 

As  the  morning  advanced,  these  signs  rapidly 
increased. 

The  chimes  of  all  the  churches  rang  out  a  joy- 
peal,  from  the  deep  tones  that  boomed  from  the 
great  towers  of  St.  Lawrence  down  to  the  little  bell 
of  some  small  suburban  chapel. 

The  blare  of  trumpets  and  the  roll  of  drums  re- 
sounded on  all  sides,  as  the  city  troops  were  called 
out  by  companies  from  each  guard-house,  to  be 
marshalled  in  the  market-place  under  their  gallant 
commandant,  Frederick  von  Schonberg,  son  of  the 
Burggraf  of  Nuremberg.  They  were  foot  soldiers, 
belonging  to  the  Landwehr  or  National  Guard, 
whose  duty  it  was,  not  to  fight  in  foreign  wars,  but 

9 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

to  defend  the  city  from  its  enemies.  They  were  a 
fine  looking  body  of  men,  variously  armed;  and 
Nuremberg  was  proud  of  them. 

As  the  young  commander  placed  himself  at  their 
head,  and  led  the  procession,  clad  in  a  rich  military 
costume  and  mounted  on  a  magnificent  white 
charger,  he  presented  a  fine  example  of  the  chivalry 
of  the  fifteenth  century ;  and  the  eyes  of  many  a  fair 
lady  followed  him  with  unconcealed  admiration. 

After  the  troops  marched  the  different  trades — 
the  artificers  in  steel  and  iron  and  bronze,  the 
swordsmiths,  the  arrowsmiths,  the  gold-and-silver 
smiths,  the  armorers,  the  wood-carvers,  the  weavers, 
the  wool-combers,  and  many  others,  with  banners 
and  emblematical  devices.  This  was  an  annual 
function,  known  as  the  "marching  of  the  trades," 
and  it  was  a  happy  thought  to  unite  the  civic  with 
the  military  parade,  in  order  to  give  more  honor  to 
the  occasion. 

For  intelligence  having  been  received  from  the 
imperial  court  that  a  great  victory  had  been 
achieved  by  the  young  Emperor  Maximilian,  over 
the  Turks,  the  authorities  of  Nuremberg  had  given 
orders  that  a  grand  parade  should  be  held  in  honor 

10 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  the  event,  and  that  the  despatch  containing  the 
news  should.be  publicly  read  by  the  town  clerk  in 
the  market-place,  for  the  information  of  the  people. 

For  there  was  not  one  of  the  great  free  cities 
more  loyal  to  its  hereditary  lord  than  Nuremberg. 

A  vast  throng  was  gathered  in  the  market-place, 
in  the  centre  of  which  the  "Beautiful  Fountain," 
Schonen  Brunnen,  the  pride  and  ornament  of  the 
city,  lifted  its  tall  and  elegant  form. 

People  of  all  ranks  flocked  thither.  The  shoe- 
maker left  his  last,  the  carpenter  his  hammer  and 
saw,  the  mercer  his  yard-stick;  the  spinster  forsook 
her  spinning-wheel,  the  knitter  her  long  wooden 
needles ;  and  in  the  eagerness  of  all  to  hear  the  joy- 
ful tidings,  the  noble  and  the  merchant-prince  rubbed 
shoulders  with  the  humble  artisan  and  his  wife  and 
daughters. 

The  Burggraf,  or  chief  magistrate,  was  there, 
clothed  in  purple  and  miniver,  as  the  representative 
of  imperial  authority.  He  sat  with  his  councillors 
on  a  raised  platform,  in  front  of  which  had  been 
erected  a  sort  of  pulpit  or  rostrum,  on  which  the 
town  clerk  was>  to  stand. 

A  few  favored  guests,  friends  of  the  magistrates, 
ii 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

had  been  invited  to  occupy  seats  on  the  platform. 

Among  them  might  have  been  observed  an  old 
gentleman  of  stout  form  and  pleasant  countenance, 
and  by  his  side  a  lady  arrayed  in  an  almost  bar- 
baric splendor  of  apparel,  both  as  to  brilliancy  of 
color  and  richness  of  texture. 

It  was  the  Baron  von  Eisenfeld  and  his  daugh- 
ter, the  Lady  Alexia. 

They  were  not  residents  of  Nuremberg,  but  had 
come  on  the  invitation  of  the  Burggraf  from  their 
estate  in  Bavaria,  to  participate  in  this  loyal  dem- 
onstration in  the  Emperor's  honor. 

The  Lady  Alexia  was  a  beautiful  woman;  but 
her  beauty  was  of  a  somewhat  masculine  type,  and 
the  expression  of  her  features  cold  and  haughty. 
She  was  attired  in  a  robe  of  the  rich  silk  of  Padua 
known  as  paduasoy,  of  a  soft  lustrous  texture,  shot 
with  threads  of  silver;  and  her  stomacher  was  en- 
crusted with  pearls  and  rubies  set  in  fretted  gold. 
Rings  adorned  her  fingers,  and  ear-rings  glittered 
from  under  the  head-dress  of  silk  and  lace  that 
crowned  her  auburn  hair. 

Near  her  was  seated  her  brother  Rupert,  a  young 

12 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

giant,  whose  large  and  well-developed  frame  be- 
tokened the  athletic  training  of  the  times. 

Another  guest  of  the  Burggraf  was  the  Count 
von  Carlsberg,  the  official  bearer  of  the  despatch, 
who  had  been  persuaded  to  delay  his  return  to  Vi- 
enna in  order  to  be  present  at  the  festivities  of  the 
day.  He  was  a  noble  knight,  of  fine  appearance  and 
courtly  manners,  high  in  favor  with  the  Emperor. 

Among  the  less  favored  multitude  who  thronged 
the  market-place  stood  two  young  girls,  who  clung 
closely  together,  as  if  afraid  of  being  lost  in  the 
crowd. 

They  were  noticeable  partly  from  their  beauty, 
which  was  remarkable,  and  partly  from  the  fact 
that  they  resembled  each  other  so  much  that  it  was 
scarcely  possible  to  distinguish  the  one  from  the 
other. 

"God  be  with  us!"  ejaculated  a  big,  brawny 
blacksmith,  on  observing  them.  "What  a  resem- 
blance !  It  makes  my  flesh  creep  to  see  it !  It  looks 
so  weird  and  uncanny!" 

"Shame  on  you,  Hugo!"  said  a  young  man  in 
student  cap  and  gown.  "A  man  of  your  thews  and 
sinews  to  be  so  easily  frightened!  For  my  part,  I 

13 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

think  where  one  finds  beauty  like  that  there  can't  be 
too  much  of  it." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  anything  mortal,  Otto.  But 
all  that  savors  of  witchwork  I  abhor,"  said  the 
superstitious  blacksmith. 

The  girls  were  dressed  alike,  in  skirt  of  dark 
woolen,  with  bodice  of  blue  cloth  laced  up  the  front, 
and  finished  with  sleeves  and  kerchief  of  snow- 
white  linen. 

From  their  attire,  which,  though  neat  and  taste- 
ful, was  somewhat  coarse  in  texture,  it  might  have 
been  inferred  that  they  belonged  to  the  working 
classes;  which  was  further  evidenced  by  their  being 
found  in  that  surging  crowd  without  servant  or 
escort.  But  there  was  an  indescribable  air  of  re- 
finement about  them,  notwithstanding;  and  on  their 
hands,  small  and  shapely,  though  somewhat  em- 
browned by  exposure,  one  could  perceive  the  fine- 
grained skin  that  does  not  roughen  or  crack,  even  by 
daily  toil.  In  a  word,  it  was  plain  that  they  were 
gentlewomen. 

Their  hair,  which  was  very  abundant,  was  coiled 
in  heavy  braids  about  their  heads;  and  herein  lay 
their  one  distinguishing  mark — the  locks  of  the 

14 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

one  being  flaxen  and  somewhat  fluffy,  while  those 
of  the  other  were  of  a  rich  golden  color,  smooth 
and  glossy  as  silk.  No  hat  or  hood  concealed  its 
beauty.  A  simple  ribbon  confined  it  in  place. 

They  were  Barbara  and  Margarethe  Uhler,  twin 
daughters  of  the  Widow  Brunhilda  Uhler. 

Barbara,  the  eldest  by  a  small  fraction  of  time, 
wore  no  ornament  whatever;  but  round  the  neck 
of  the  other  hung  loosely  a  long  string  of  many- 
colored  glass  beads,  such  as  were  brought  from 
Venice  by  traveling  chapmen,  of  whom  the  roguish, 
tricky  Autolycus  was  a  type. 

With  eager  eyes  the  sisters  watched  the  gay  do- 
ings which  were  evidently  a  novel  sight  to  them,  as 
they  had  been  brought  up  in  seclusion. 

The  throngs  of  well-dressed  people,  the  rich  ladies 
in  their  plumes  and  silks  and  laces,  attracted  the 
particular  attention  of  Margarethe — or  Gretchen, 
to  use  the  pet  name  by  which  she  was  usually  called. 
But  the  soldiers  delighted  her  the  most — the  pike- 
men  with  their  long  pikes,  the  arquebusiers  with 
their  clumsy  firelocks,  the  strong-armed  archers 
with  their  bows  of  toughest  yew,  and  quivers  full 
of  arrows.  The  men  were  not  in  armor,  except 

15 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

their  corselets  and  helmets  of  steel,  which  glittered 
in  the  bright  May  sunshine. 

But  chiefly  their  handsome  leader  took  the  girl's 
attention. 

"Oh,  look!  Barbara,"  exclaimed  she.  "Look  at 
that  gallant  cavalier!  See  that  beautiful  white 
horse !  How  I  should  like  to  own  him !" 

"The  horse,  or  the  cavalier  ?"  said  her  sister,  with 
a  smile. 

"Both — both!"  cried  the  lively  girl.  "Oh,  how 
glad  I  am  that  our  mother  gave  consent  for  us  to 
come  and  see  all  these  delightful  things!  You 
know  she  thought  at  first  that  it  would  not  be  safe 
or  fitting  for  us.  I  wish  she  had  come  also,  to  en- 
joy them.  'T would  have  cheered  her,  and  made 
her  forget  her  cares  and  troubles.  But  that  splen- 
did cavalier!  See  those  long,  drooping  white 
plumes.  There  is  not  another  like  him  in  the  whole 
cavalcade !" 

"But  what  of  poor  Karl?  Is  it  fair  to  him,  to 
be  so  carried  away  with  a  soldier?"  asked  her  sis- 
ter. 

"Karl  is  my  dear  love — my  very  heart's  heart. 
There  is  none  like  him.  Yet  surely  one  may  admire 

16 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

a  gallant  soldier?  Honestly  now,  Barbara,  do  not 
you  yourself  admire  that  splendid  knight?" 

"Yes,"  said  Barbara,  who  had  observed  the  com- 
mander of  the  troops  long  before  her  sister  did, 
and  whose  eyes  had  followed  his  every  movement 
since. 

Slowly  and  with  dignity  the  procession,  starting 
from  the  town  hall,  passed  along  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city,  where  the  gabled  fronts  of  the 
tall  buildings,  the  many-turreted  walls,  the  ponder- 
ous gateways,  the  numerous  bridges  spanning  the 
river  Pegnitz,  the  magnificent  churches — in  which 
earlier  in  the  day  high  mass  had  been  said,  to  give 
thanks  for  the  victory  and  pray  for  the  souls  of  the 
soldiers  slain  in  battle — and  the  stately  stone  man- 
sions of  the  wealthy  merchants,  who,  as  a  writer  of 
the  period  declares,  were  "better  housed  than  the 
kings  of  Scotland" — all  presented  a  scene  of  pic- 
turesque interest  and  beauty,  scarcely  to  be  equalled 
in  any  other  city. 

On  the  highest  ground,  overlooking  the  whole 
surrounding  country,  loomed  up  the  great  castle  or 
fortress,  the  Reichsveste,  built  ages  before  by  Con- 
rad II  and  Frederic  Barbarossa  for  the  defence  of 

17 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  city.  From  its  loftiest  tower  floated  the  imperial 
standard,  with  the  cross  and  double-headed  eagle, 
while  the  town-hall  displayed  the  city  colors,  the 
black-and-yellow  banner  of  Nuremberg,  on  which 
was  embroidered  the  well-known  motto  of  the  proud 
commercial  city: 

"Niirnberg's  Hand 
Reicht  durch  alle  Land."* 


*Nuremberg's  hand 
Reaches  through  every  land. 

18 


CHAPTER  II. 

When,  after  the  parade,  all  had  reassembled  in 
the  great  square,  a  herald  by  command  of  the  Burg- 
graf,  summoned  Johannes  Edler,  town  clerk  of  Nur- 
emberg, to  ascend  the  rostrum  and  read  to  the  people 
the  despatch  received  from  Vienna. 

Johannes  Edler  was  an  old  gray-haired  man. 
He  was  habited  in  a  long  gown  of  black  serge,  girt 
about  the  waist  with  a  leathern  girdle.  From  this 
girdle  depended  an  immense  silver  watch,  famil- 
iarly known  as  a  "Nuremberg  egg,"  from  its  oval 
form  and  its  having  been  invented  by  a  mechanician 
of  that  city. 

Beside  the  watch  hung  a  portable  ink  horn,  gar- 
nished with  a  gray  goose-quill ;  showing  that  though 
town  clerk,  he  was  not  above  performing  the  office 
of  a  public  scribe  for  such  of  his  fellow-citizens  as 
might  desire  it — since  to  him  belonged  the  rare 
and  marvelous  faculty  of  communicating  ideas  by 
means  of  pen,  ink  and  paper;  a  faculty  from  which 
he  derived  considerable  emolument,  especially  in 

19 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the    interests    of     amorous    youths    and    love-sick 
maidens. 

Being  a  man  of  great  deliberation,  Johannes 
Edler  slowly  ascended  the  structure  intended  for 
his  use;  and  after  fumbling  for  some  time  in  the 
folds  of  his  garments,  produced  a  pair  of  spectacles 
— another  of  the  enterprising  city's  recent  discov- 
eries— and  carefully  adjusted  them  on  his  nose. 
They  were  of  enormous  size,  the  lenses  circular, 
and  the  mountings  of  horn,  at  least  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  in  breadth. 

To  many  they  were  a  novel  sight;  and  some  of 
the  "rough  fellows"  in  the  crowd  raised  a  shout  of 
derision. 

"Ha !  ha !  ha !  Look  at  him !  He  has  owl's  eyes ! 
To-whoo!  To-whoo!  To-whit!" 

But  Johannes  paid  no  heed  to  them. 

Unfolding  the  parchment,  which  had  been  tied 
with  a  silken  thread  and  stamped  with  the  great 
seal  of  the  empire,  he  read,  in  a  loud,  sonorous  voice, 
the  despatch  announcing  the  complete  rout  of  the 
Turks,  and  the  victory  achieved  by  the  imperial 
arms. 

Shouts  rent  the  air  as  he  concluded. 
20 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT 

"Long  live  the  Emperor!  Long  live  our  brave 
Kaiser  Max!" 

Then,  as  soon  as  the  tumult  had  subsided,  and 
silence  had  been  obtained,  a  company  of  men-sing- 
ers,— selected  from  the  Guild  of  the  Meistersingers, 
to  the  number  of  forty  voices,  led  by  Leonhard 
Nonnenbeck,  the  head  of  the  Guild  (best  known  as 
the  preceptor  of  Hans  Sachs) — sang  in  full  chorus 
a  spirited  patriotic  song. 

This  also  was  received  with  rounds  of  applause. 

"Oh,  Barbara,"  whispered  Gretchen,  "I  saw 
Karl  among  the  singers — and,  oh!  how  beautifully 
he  sang!"  For  little  Gretchen's  lover  was  a  noted 
member  of  the  Guild. 

These  ceremonies  concluded,  the  trumpets  again 
sounded,  the  drums  beat,  the  word  of  command : 

"Forward!  March!"  was  given,  and  the  proces- 
sion once  more  started. 

"Here  he  comes  again! — that  splendid  knight!" 
cried  Gretchen,  excitedly. 

But  Barbara  needed  no  promptings  from  her  sis- 
ter; for  from  the  moment  of  his  reappearance  in 
the  market-place  she  had  not  lost  sight  of  him. 

Whether  it  was  owing  to  the  magnetism  of  this 

21 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

fixed  gaze,  or  was  merely  the  result  of  chance,  it  is 
certain  that,  as  his  slowly-pacing  charger  passed 
the  spot  where  the  twins  stood,  the  eyes  of  Freder- 
ick Schonberg  were  attracted  to  the  countenance  of 
Barbara. 

With  a  startled  look  he  glanced  from  her'  to  her 
sister,  as  if  astonished  at  the  resemblance;  then  his 
eyes  flew  back  to  Barbara's  face,  and  became  riv- 
eted there  with  such  a  look  of  passionate  admira- 
tion that  the  girl  colored  deeply  and  cast  down  her 
eyes. 

With  a  self-satisfied  smile  the  cavalier  rode  on, 
first  touching  his  plumed  beaver  with  as  courtly  a 
grace  to  the  lowly  maiden  as  if  she  had  been  a 
princess. 

But  scarcely  had  he  gone  a  pace  or  two  when  a 
terrible  panic  ensued.  An  ill-advised  individual, 
full  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  and  strong  beer  (made 
from  "that  wicked  weed  hops,"  just  coming  into 
use),  discharged  an  arquebus  under  the  very  nose 
of  Schonberg's  horse. 

The  spirited  animal,  snorting  with  fright,  sprang 
backwards  among  the  crowd,  which  also  surged 

22 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

backwards,  causing  many  persons  to  be  thrown  to 
the  ground. 

Among  these  unfortunates  was  Barbara  Uhler. 

Gretchen  shrieked  and  tried  to  raise  her,  but  was 
forced  to  separate  from  her  by  the  pressure  of  the 
crowd.  At  such  a  time  it  is  "every  one  for  him- 
self," and  for  some  moments  Barbara  lay  unheeded, 
in  imminent  danger  of  being  trampled  to  death. 

But  Schonberg,  as  soon  as  he  got  his  horse  under 
control,  sprang  from  the  saddle,  and  throwing  the 
reins  to  his  servant,  forced  his  way  to  her,  and 
lifted  her  tenderly  from  the  ground. 

"Are  you  hurt,  fair  maiden?"  said  he,  in  a  tone 
of  solicitude. 

"No,  I  am  not  much  hurt.  Only  a  few  bruises," 
said  she,  faintly,  and  with  a  very  pale  face. 

"Thank  heaven  for  that!  I  am  grieved  to  think 
I  should  have  been  the  cause  of  this  mishap." 

His  arm  was  still  around  her,  for  he  was  afraid 
she  might  fall  again,  she  looked  so  white.  But  she 
tried  to  free  herself. 

"My  head  feels  a  little  dizzy.  But  I  am  sure  I 
can  stand  and  walk." 

"Could  I  leave  my  place  in  the  parade,  I  would 

23 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

procure  a  litter  and  have  you  conveyed  to  your 
home.  Nay,  to  convey  such  loveliness,  I  should 
delight  to  order  a  coach  such  as  a  queen  would  be 
proud  to  ride  in!  But  my  servant  shall  see  you 
home,  and  give  you  all  the  assistance  in  his  power. 
Here,  Jerome,"  to  his  servant,  "take  this  damsel 
under  your  care,  and  see  that  she  reaches  her  home 
safely/' 

"It  is  not  necessary,"  said  Barbara,  drawing  her- 
self up  proudly.  "My  sister  is  here,  and  will  assist 
me.  Indeed,  it  is  not  necessary.  I  do  not  require 
your  servant's  escort." 

She  took  the  arm  of  her  sister,  who  had  now 
reached  her,  and  with  a  graceful  inclination  to  her 
rescuer,  turned  to  leave  the  market-place. 

Frederick's  first  thought  had  been  to  offer  her  a 
piece  of  gold  to  heal  her  hurts,  as  he  might  have 
done  to  some  peasant  girl ;  but  the  unmistakable  air 
of  refinement  about  the  sisters  rendered  that  out  of 
the  question. 

He  looked  after  them  a  moment,  as  they  slowly 
left  the  square,  Gretchen  supporting  her  sister. 

"Who  are  those  damsels,  Jerome?"  said  he,  as 
his  servant  assisted  him  to  remount. 

24 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Hang  me  if  I  know,  your  honor.  I  never  saw 
them  before." 

"Hark  ye,  Jerome.  Follow  them  home,  and 
bring  me  word  where  she  lives?" 

"She?  But  there  be  two  of  them,  and  as  like  as 
two  peas.  Which  of  them  shall  I  follow,  your 
honor?" 

"Be  off  with  you,  you  fool.  Haste!  before  you 
lose  sight  of  them." 

He  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  hastened  to  resume 
his  place  at  the  head  of  his  troops;  while  Jerome 
proceeded  to  obey  his  commands. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  parade  over,  and  the  crowd  rapidly  dispers- 
ing, Frederick  von  Schonberg  dismounted  at  the 
armory  and  hastened  to  the  official  residence  of  the 
Burggraf,  whither  his  father  had  already  escorted 
his  guests,  including  Count  von  Carlsberg.  Hur- 
riedly exchanging  his  steel  corselet  and  other  mil- 
itary accoutrements  for  a  rich  and  splendid  civilian 
dress,  he  hastened  to  pay  his  respects  to  them. 

"Well  done!  Herr  Fritz!"  cried  the  Baron, 
grasping  his  hand  with  heartiest  pressure.  "That 
was  a  grand  affair!  'Twas  a  credit  to  your  city." 

"And  may  I  ask  how  the  Lady  Alexia  enjoyed 
the  festivities?"  said  Frederick,  with  a  courtly  sal- 
utation, as  he  took  her  hand  in  his  and  raised  it  to 
his  lips. 

But  there  was  a  frown  on  the  Lady  Alexia's  brow, 
and  a  tone  of  resentment  in  her  voice,  as,  without 
taking  notice  of  his  question,  she  said : 

"And  may  /  ask,  who  that  girl  was  whom  you 
picked  up  from  the  street?" — for  she,  from  her  ex- 

26 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

alted  position  on  the  platform,  had  had  a  full  view 
of  the  little  episode. 

Frederick  laughed  and  colored. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  said.  "A  fellow  with  an  ar- 
quebus which  he  did  not  know  how  to  handle  fright- 
ened my  horse,  the  horse  frightened  the  people,  and 
the  poor  damsel  would  have  been  trodden  to  death 
had  I  not — as  you  put  it — picked  her  up." 

The  lady's  only  answer  was  a  scornful  toss  of 
the  head.  For  there  was  a  contract  of  marriage 
between  Frederick  von  Schonberg  and  the  Baroness 
Alexia  von  Eisenfeld,  and  her  jealousy  had  been 
aroused  by  the  incident  she  had  witnessed. 

The  Baron,  not  observing  this  little  by-play,  went 
on  with  his  enthusiastic  commendations  of  the  day's 
festivities.  The  troops,  the  crowds  of  people,  the 
music,  the  reading  of  the  despatch,  the  singing  of 
the  song  of  victory,  the  shouts  and  praises  of  the 
multitude — all  came  in  for  a  share  of  his  appro- 
bation. 

"I  tell  you,  Schonberg,"  to  the  Burggraf,  "if 
ever  a  monarch  was  loved  by  his  subjects,  it  is  our 
brave  Max." 

"And  if  ever  a  monarch  deserved  the  plaudits  of 

27 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

his  subjects,  it  is  he,"  said  the  Burggraf.  "From 
the  moment  of  his  accession  to  the  throne,  the  wel- 
fare of  his  people  has  been  his  first  thought  by  night 
and  day — alike  in  peace  or  war,  in  joy  or  sorrow. 
He  met  with  a  sad  blow  in  the  death  of  his  wife, 
the  beautiful  Princess  Mary,  who  was  killed,  as 
you  all  know,  a  few  years  after  her  marriage  by 
a  fall  from  her  horse  while  hunting.  Indeed  the 
whole  country  was  plunged  into  grief,  for  all  loved 
her.  , 

"It  was  my  inestimable  privilege,"  continued  the 
Burggraf,  with  whom  this  was  a  favorite  theme, 
"to  be  present  at  the  wedding  of  those  two  lovely 
young  persons.  I  was  there  as  representative  of 
our  good  city.  It  was  the  most  charming  sight  I 
ever  saw  in  my  life." 

"Oh,  dear  Count,  do  tell  us  all  about  it!"  said 
Alexia,  eagerly. 

"The  marriage  was  rather  sudden  and  romantic. 
A  year  before,  they  had  been  betrothed  with  great 
pomp  and  magnificence,  but  certain  matters  of  state 
policy  had  caused  the  affair  to  be  broken  off.  Then 
Charles  the  Bold  died  on  the  fatal  field  of  Nancy, 
and  as  he  left  no  son,  the  dukedom  lapsed  to  the 

28 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

crown  of  France.  Not  content  with  this,  the  king 
of  France,  that  greedy,  cruel  Louis  XI,  was  about 
to  seize  the  princess'  Flemish  possessions  also,  and 
even  to  lay  hands  on  her  person.  It  was  then  that 
Mary  sent  a  ring  to  her  lover  and  besought  him  to 
deliver  her. 

"Maximilian  responded  with  heart  and  soul  to 
the  touching  and  pathetic  appeal.  Despatching  his 
kinsman,  the  Duke  of  Bavaria,  with  an  armed  band 
to  carry  her  to  Ghent,  he  caused  hasty  though  sump- 
tuous arrangements  to  be  made  there  for  their  im- 
mediate marriage." 

"And  where  met  they?" 

"They  met  first  in  the  streets  of  Ghent,  where 
rich  tapestries  and  draperies  were  hung  on  the 
fronts  of  the  houses,  intermingled  with  garlands  of 
flowers  and  wreaths  of  ivy.  Escorted  by  Bavaria 
and  his  armed  band,  Mary  rode  into  Ghent  on  a 
beautiful  milk-white  palfrey,  with  trappings  of  sil- 
ver and  housings  of  crimson  velvet.  The  young 
Archduke — he  was  then  but  eighteen  years  of.  age 
— went  to  meet  her,  mounted  on  a  noble  bay  horse, 
his  long  fair  hair  crowned  with  a  wreath  of  flowers 
intertwined  with  pearls,  his  tall,  graceful  form  clad 

29 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

in  a  suit  of  silver  armor,  richly  enameled  with  gold, 
and  his  bright  honest  eyes  beaming  with  the  light 
of  love  and  happiness.  Both  dismounted,  and  as 
the  bells  of  the  town-hall  and  the  churches  rang  a 
joyful  peal  and  the  people  cheered  and  waved  their 
caps,  the  sweet  young  prince  and  princess  clasped 
hands  and  kissed  each  other." 

"Bravo!"  exclaimed  the  three  young  men  to- 
gether; and  "Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  Baron; 
"human  nature  is  the  same  whether  in  prince  or 
peasant." 

Then  the  Burggraf,  at  Alexia's  request,  gave 
some  details  of  the  wedding  ceremony;  and  even 
described,  as  well  as  a  "mere  man"  could  do  so,  the 
bridal  robes  of  the  beautiful  princess. 

"Thanks,  Herr  Burggraf,  for  your  excellent  de- 
scription. How  I  should  have  liked  to  be  present! 
I  love  all  such  gay,  festal  scenes — splendid  pageants, 
tournaments,  festivals,  rich  costumes,  courtly  dis- 
play, and  all  such  things.  I  hope  the  time  will  come, 
sometime,  when  I  shall  be  presented  at  the  Imperial 
Court,"  said  Lady  Alexia,  her  eyes  sparkling  with 
animation. 

"When  that  time  shall  arrive,"  said  von  Carlsberg, 

30 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"the  Lady  Alexia  will  grace  the  Imperial  Court  far 
more  than  the  court  will  honor  her." 

For  which  high  flown  compliment  he  was  re- 
warded with  a  brilliant  smile. 

"I  think,"  said  Frederick,  "my  father  would 
make  a  good  master  of  the  ceremonies  at  the  Im- 
perial Court,  since  he  can  give  so  good  an  account 
of  those  scenes,  after  so  many  years." 

"It  is  because  the  whole  of  the  charming  scenes 
are  so  indelibly  impressed  on  my  memory,  that  I 
cannot  forget  a  single  circumstance;  and  because  I 
love  our  noble,  brave  Emperor,  so  much." 

"That  he  is  noble  and  brave,"  said  von  Carls- 
berg,  "none  knows  better  than  I ;  yet  I  wish  he  were 
not  so  ready  to  engage  in  rash  and  perilous  adven- 
tures that  menace  his  precious  life.  Once  he  went 
unarmed  into  a  lion's  den,  and,  the  door  closing  on 
him,  he  had  to  defend  himself  with  a  shovel  until 
help  arrived.  On  another  occasion,  in  seeking  ad- 
ventures among  the  mountains,  he  fell  down  a  pre- 
cipice and  was  lost  for  several  days.  But  the  most 
thrilling  exploit  of  all  was  his  ascent  of  the  spire  of 
Ulm  Cathedral,  the  highest  in  the  world.  We  had 
gone  to  that  city,  a  company  of  us,  to  attend  a  ban- 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

quet  of  the  Teutonic  Knights,  of  which  military 
order  the  Emperor  is  a  member,  ever  ready  to  suc- 
cor the  lowliest  of  his  soldiers  on  the  battlefield  or 
in  the  hospital.  The  banquet  over,  the  knights  were 
conversing  socially,  when  one  happened  to  mention 
the  daring  feat  of  a  Spanish  cavalier,  who,  in  mere 
bravado,  had  climbed  the  Giralda,  or  bell-tower  of 
the  Cathedral  of  Seville.  'That  is  nothing!'  cried 
our  brave  Max.  'Yonder  spire,'  pointing  to  it,  'is 
twice  as  high  as  the  Giralda  of  Seville!  yet  I  shall 
climb  to  the  top  of  it,  and  show  you  how  a  German 
knight  can  outdo  your  Spanish  cavalier.'  Tearing 
off  his  long  white  mantle,  with  its  black  cross,  the 
distinguishing  garment  of  the  Teutonic  Knights,  he 
at  once  began  the  ascent.  Up  and  up  he  climbed. 
A  great  crowd  assembled  to  witness  the  bold  at- 
tempt. Men  held  their  breath.  Women  sobbed 
and  cried  out — some  even  fainted  with  the  excite- 
ment. Up  and  up  he  climbed,  until  he  reached  the 
topmost  pinnacle  of  that  sky-piercing  spire,  and 
standing  erect  upon  it,  with  one  foot  hanging  over, 
waved  his  cap  to  the  multitude  below." 

"Thrilling,  indeed,  it  must  have  been — it  makes 
one  thrill  even  to  hear  it  told,"  said  the  Burggraf. 

32 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"They  say,"  remarked  the  Baron,  "that  the  Em- 
peror is  to  marry  the  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Milan, 
Bianca  Sforza." 

"If  it  be  so,  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  state  policy. 
He  will  never  love  another  woman  as  he  loved  his 
lost  Mary."  The  Burggraf  sighed;  for  he  was  a 
widower  himself,  and  the  turn  the  conversation  had 
taken  recalled  his  own  loss. 

To  this  conversation  between  the  chief  magistrate 
and  his  guests,  Frederick  paid  but  little  attention. 
His  mind  was  preoccupied.  His  thoughts  were  else- 
where. He  was  wondering  whether  his  servant  had 
succeeded  in  discovering  the  home  of  the  beautiful 
girl  who  had  so  fascinated  him  in  the  market-place, 
and  whom  he  had  rescued  from  the  trampling  feet  of 
the  multitude. 

Von  Carlsberg,  on  the  contrary,  paid  marked  at- 
tentions to  Lady  Alexia,  who  received  them  most 
graciously,  in  retaliation  of  what  she  considered  the 
studied  neglect  of  her  fiance. 


33 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Keeping  at  a  safe  distance,  lest  they  should  dis- 
cover his  object,  the  lackey  followed  the  sisters 
through  a  labyrinth  of  obscure  streets  and  unpaved 
lanes,  to  that  portion  of  the  city  inhabited  by  the 
very  poor ;  and  in  a  dark  and  narrow  thoroughfare, 
well  named  the  Kleine  Strasse,  or  "little  street," 
saw  them  enter  an  old,  time-discolored  cottage,  one 
of  a  long  row  of  dwellings  of  a  similar  description. 

"Well,  I  vow,"  said  Jerome  to  himself,  "to  see 
the  patrician  airs  of  that  girl,  who  would  expect  to 
find  her  dwelling  in  a  hovel  like  this  ?  'It  is  not  nec- 
essary/ mimicking,  'I  do  not  desire  your  servant's 
escort/  O,  no;  it  was  the  master  she  wanted,  not 
the  servant.  And  truly,  I  think  my  master  was 
much  struck  with  her ;  which  may  not  be  altogether 
for  her  good.  But  for  my  part,  I  like  the  one  with 
the  fluffy  hair  and  the  beads  the  best,"  meaning 
Gretchen;  "she  has  bright  eyes,  and  looks  lively." 

Observing  an  old  cobbler  seated  at  his  door,  with 
hammer  and  lapstone,  hard  at  work  on  a  coarse  shoe 

34 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

which  he  was  mending,  Jerome  asked  him,  with  as- 
sumed carelessness,  who  those  two  girls  were  who 
had  just  entered  the  neighboring  dwelling. 

"I  did  not  notice  them,"  answered  the  old  man, 
continuing  his  work,  "I  can't  be  raising  my  head 
every  minute,  and  so  hindering  my  work,  to  look 
after  girls.  I  leave  that  to  such  idle  swaggerers  as 
yourself." 

"Oh,  but,"  said  Jerome,  determined  to  obtain  the 
desired  information,  "you  must  know  them,  living 
so  near  them — two  girls  so  like  each  other,  that  the 
devil  himself  could  not  tell  the  difference." 

"Ah,"  said  the  cobbler,  looking  up,  with  hammer 
suspended  in  mid  air,  "now  I  know  whom  you  mean. 
Tis  the  twin  daughters  of  the  Widow  Uhler ;"  and 
down  came  the  hammer  with  an  emphatic  blow  on 
the  heel  of  the  shoe,  as  if  to  signify  that  the  inter- 
view was  closed. 

But  Jerome,  having  learned  what  he  wanted  to 
know,  did  not  attempt  to  prolong  it.  Bidding  the 
crusty  old  man  good  day,  and  gingerly  picking  his 
steps  along  the  muddy  street,  through  the  middle 
of  which  flowed  a  noisome  gutter  breathing  deadly 

35 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

miasma,  he  returned  to  his  master  with  the  infor- 
mation he  had  obtained. 

******** 

The  little  house  in  which  the  Uhlers  dwelt  was  of 
an  unpretending,  even  unprepossessing  exterior.  The 
high,  peaked  gable-front  might  once  have  had  some 
pretentions  in  the  way  of  carved  ornamentation, 
but  the  lines  had  become  obliterated,  the  leaves  and 
flowers  had  been  worn  off  or  torn  off,  through  age 
or  misusage.  The  dingy  walls  were  low,  and  the 
dark,  red-slated  roof,  projecting  several  feet  be- 
yond them,  obstructed  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  light  that  found  its  way,  over  the  top  of  a  higher 
house  opposite,  to  the  two  small  latticed  windows. 
These  were  placed  on  either  side  of  a  heavy  oaken 
door,  divided  horizontally  into  two  parts.  Great 
beams  stretched  across  the  gable  in  various  direc- 
tions, apparently  for  no  purpose  but  to  disfigure  it. 

But  unattractive  as  was  the  outside,  light  never 
shone  on  a  more  pleasing  scene  than  that  presented 
by  the  interior  of  the  cottage.  It  consisted  of  but 
two  rooms.  The  larger  room  of  the  two  was 
kitchen,  parlor,  and  workroom,  all  in  one.  In  the 

36 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

other,  though  very  small,  the  three  women  managed 
to  find  sleeping  room. 

The  earthen  floors  were  strewn  with  clean  white 
sand.  Of  furniture  there  was  but  little,  and  that 
of  the  simplest  kind.  A  plain  deal  table,  a  few 
cooking  utensils,  a  few  wooden  stools  of  the  most 
primitive  construction — merely  a  piece  sawed  off 
the  end  of  a  log,  the  bark  removed,  the  edges  neatly 
trimmed,  and  three  stout  pins  stuck  into  it  by  way 
of  legs,  making  on  the  whole  a  not  uncomfortable 
seat — a  chair  or  two,  well-worn,  and  with  the  paint 
rubbed  from  their  backs,  a  shelf  with  a  few  cups 
and  dishes  of  wood  or  pewter — and  that  was  all. 
But  there  as  a  quiet  air  of  neatness  and  even  ele- 
gance about  the  whole,  which  compensated  for  a 
world  of  deficiencies — a  touch  here  and  there  that 
betokened  good  taste — some  little  thing  that  re- 
lieved and  brightened  the  sordid  look  of  poverty. 

There  were  two  articles  of  furniture  in  the  liv- 
ing-room which  presented  a  singular  contrast  to 
the  rest.  The  one  was  a  large,  high-backed  arm- 
chair of  dark,  polished  oak,  elaborately  carved,  and 
cushioned  with  rich  though  faded  crimson  silk  bro- 
cade. The  other  was  a  small,  round,  claw-footed 

37 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

table,  of  ebony,  curiously  inlaid  with  ivory.  Its  top, 
working  on  a  wooden  hinge,  could  be  turned  up 
against  the  wall,  where  its  black  polished  surface  re- 
flected everything  as  in  a  mirror.  It  was  of  Oriental 
workmanship,  and  had  in  its  interior  a  secret  re- 
ceptacle, for  the  concealment  of  treasure  and  other 
valuables.  The  chair  also  possessed  a  secret 
drawer,  concealed  by  its  cushions. 

These  two  articles  the  Widow  Uhler  regarded 
as  the  apple  of  her  eye,  and  guarded  with  a  jealous 
care. 

They  were  relics  of  former  grandeur — reminders 
of  bygone  affluence,  happiness  and  love. 

For  Brunhilda  Uhler  had  not  always  been  poor. 

Her  husband  had  been  one  of  the  wealthiest  mer- 
chants of  the  city.  He  had  been  engaged  in  the 
Venetian  trade,  in  which  he  had  amassed  great 
riches. 

When  the  prosperity  of  Venice  was  ruined  by  the 
deflection  of  commercial  enterprise  into  other  chan- 
nels, that  of  Bernhard  Uhler  went  with  it.  To  this 
was  added  the  dishonesty  of  a  partner  in  whom  he 
trusted,  who  robbed  him  of  the  residue  of  his  prop- 
erty, and  left  him  almost  penniless. 

38 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

When  the  plague,  that  most  terrible  of  diseases, 
made  one  of  its  many  visits  to  Nuremberg,  Bern- 
hard  Uhler,  depressed  and  low-spirited,  was  one 
of  its  first  victims.  Then  the  eldest  son,  a  fine 
young  man  of  one-and-twenty,  was  taken.  Then 
another  and  another;  until  of  her  seven  children, 
two  little  helpless  twin  baby  girls  were  all  that  re- 
mained to  the  bereaved  and  half-distracted  mother. 

But  she  bore  up  nobly,  for  her  heart  was  stayed 
on  God. 

Gathering  together  the  poor  remnants  of  her  for- 
tune, she  had  withdrawn  to  this  obscure  lodging, 
and  devoted  herself  to  the  bringing  up  of  the  two 
children  that  were  left. 

Many  a  hard  struggle  had  she  had  with  poverty. 
But  now  the  twins  were  grown  up,  able  to  assist 
her  in  earning  a  livelihood,  and  were  the  joy  and 
comfort  of  her  life. 

And  here  she  stands  at  the  open  half-door,  wait- 
ing to  welcome  them  home  from  the  parade. 

"Well,  my  children — But  what  is  the  matter,  Bar- 
bara ?  You  limp — and  your  face  is  as  white  as  your 
sleeves?  What  has  happened?" 

Then  Gretchen,  half  laughing  and  half  crying, 

39 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

told  of  all  that  had  taken  place — what  a  lovely  time 
they  had  had — and  how  they  had  been  almost  killed 
— and  how  she  had  seen  Karl  among  the  singers 
who  gave  the  song  of  victory — and  how  the  old 
town  clerk  wore  the  funniest  things  on  his  eyes — 
and  how  fine  the  soldiers  looked — and  how  the  most 
splendid  cavalier  of  them  all  had  jumped  from  his 
horse,  and  lifted  Barbara  in  his  arms — and  how  he 
had  offered  to  get  a  litter  to  carry  her  home — and 
how  he  rode  the  most  beautiful  horse,  with  a  long 
tail  and  the  most  elegant  housings — and  how  it  was 
all  so  delightful,  that  she  wished  there  might  be  an- 
other parade  next  week — and  so  on — and  on — while 
the  mother  bathed  Barbara's  bruises,  and  brushed 
the  dust  from  her  disordered  garments,  and  with 
loving,  tender  touch  smoothed  her  satin-shining 
hair — at  the  same  time  trying  to  make  sense  of 
Gretchen's  confused  and  desultory  remarks. 

But  Barbara  said  nothing. 

At  one  part  of  her  sister's  narration,  her  cheek 
grew  hot,  and  her  nerves  tingled,  and  she  seemed  to 
feel  again  the  clasp  of  that  manly  arm  about  her 
waist.  As  her  mother  finished  her  ministrations, 
the  girl  caught  her  in  her  arms,  and  kissed  her  with 

40 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

extraordinary  fervor,  and  the  mother  saw  a  light  in 
her  eyes  that  had  never  been  there  before. 

Although  the  sisters  resembled  each  other  so 
much  in  personal  appearance,  they  were  essentially 
different  in  their  mental  characteristics.  Gretchen 
was  frank,  cheerful,  and  sprightly,  enlivening  the 
household  with  her  songs  and  merry  sayings. 
Barbara,  of  a  deeper  and  more  thoughtful  nature, 
was  quiet  and  undemonstrative.  But  beneath  this 
placid  exterior  lay  an  energy  and  strength  of  mind 
known  only  to  her  mother,  of  whom  she  was  the  de- 
voted friend  and  counsellor. 

Their  frugal  meal  partaken  of,  each  member  of 
the  family  settled  down  to  her  work,  for  each  one 
had  her  appointed  task  to  do;  and  the  labor  of  all 
was  necessary  to  their  maintenance,  so  small  were 
the  returns. 

Barbara  wove  fine  baskets  and  other  articles,  of 
the  osiers  that  grew  on  the  wet  alluvial  grounds 
beside  the  Pegnitz;  Gretchen,  with  her  spinning- 
wheel,  spun  woolen  yarn  for  a  wool-merchant  in  the 
neighborhood;  and  the  mother's  deft  fingers  and 
burnished  needles  flew  in  and  out  with  astonishing 
yet  graceful  rapidity,  among  the  endless  meshes  of 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT, 

her  knitting-work.     It  was  plain  to  see  from  whom 
the  girls  derived  their  beautiful  hands. 

Two  other  members  of  the  household  remain  to 
be  mentioned — a  large  black  cat,  named  Schwarz, 
whose  rich  and  glossy  fur  might  have  adorned  the 
robe  of  some  city  official ;  and  a  bullfinch  in  a  cage, 
which  had  been  taught  to  whistle  several  tunes,  and 
which  often  accompanied  Gretchen  as  she  sang  at 
her  spinning,  sometimes  with  his  natural  music, 
sometimes  with  that  which  he  had  acquired. 


'42 


CHAPTER  V. 

On  the  morning  following  the  parade,  as  the  fam- 
ily were  engaged  in  their  various  vocations,  a 
shadow  darkened  the  open  half  of  the  door. 

It  was  the  young  noble,  Frederick  Schonberg,  at- 
tended by  his  servant,  Jerome. 

"This  is  the  place,  your  honor,  I  know  it  by  that 
half-door,  and  by  that  big  black  cat  on  the  window- 
sill,  where  also  it  lay  yesterday,  in  the  self-same 
spot." 

He  knocked  a  loud  rat-tat-tat  on  the  door  with 
his  knuckles ;  and  then  stepping  aside,  gave  place  to 
his  master. 

"You  may  go,  now,  Jerome.  I  shall  not  want 
you  any  more  at  present." 

The  lackey  departed,  with  some  reluctance;  for, 
being  a  bold  varlet,  he  had  hoped  to  obtain  another 
glimpse  of  the  "fluffy-haired  girl." 

Dame  Uhler,  laying  down  her  knitting,  opened 
the  door,  and  greeted  her  guest  with  dignified 
courtesy. 

43 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"What  is  your  pleasure,  sir?"  said  she,  coldly, 
with  her  hand  still  on  the  latch  of  the  door. 

"I  have  come,  madam,"  (the  "madam"  an  invol- 
untary tribute  to  her  unexpectedly  lady-like  appear- 
ance) "to  inquire  after  the  welfare  of  the  fair 
maiden  whom  I  unfortunately  caused  to  suffer  yes- 
terday— to  learn  in  what  condition  she  finds  herself 
today,  and  whether  she  requires  the  services  of  a 
physician." 

Then  the  door  was  opened  wide. 

Bending  his  head  in  courteous  salutation,  and 
doffing  his  plumed  and  diamond-looped  hat,  he 
stepped  across  the  threshold — looking  so  handsome, 
so  graceful,  so  noble,  in  his  rich  patrician  costume 
of  amber  velvet,  with  ruffles  and  neck-scarf  of  Flem- 
ish lace,  that  to  the  inmates  of  the  humble  cottage 
he  almost  seemed  like  a  visitant  from  another  world. 

Barbara  turned  red  and  white  by  turns,  Gretchen 
stopped  her  spinning-wheel,  and  stood  in  astonished 
silence  at  sight  of  the  stranger,  whom  she  scarcely 
recognized  in  his  civilian  garb  as  the  cavalier  whom 
she  had  so  much  admired  the  day  before. 

He  turned  at  once  to  Barbara,  who  greeted  him 
with  a  smile  of  grateful  recognition. 

44 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  hope  you  were  not  much  hurt,"  said  he,  taking- 
her  hand. 

"O!  no.  Not  much.  I  am  almost  as  well  as 
ever,  and  able,  as  you  see,  to  resume  my  daily  toil. 
Dear  mother,"  turning  to  her,  "this  is  the  gentle- 
man who  saved  my  life  yesterday.  But  for  him  I 
must  have  been  trampled  to  death." 

The  widow  made  her  acknowledgments  promptly 
and  heartily. 

"I  could  do  no  less,"  said  he.  "It  was  my  horse 
that  caused  the  trouble.  Yet  it  was  not  poor 
Saladin's  fault.  It  was  the  fault  of  that  senseless 
fool  with  his  gun — whom  I  caused  to  be  arrested, 
taken  to  prison,  and  soundly  whipped.  But  it  is 
time  that  I  should  introduce  myself.  I  am  Fred- 
erick von  Schonberg,  son  of  Count  Schonberg,  our 
worthy  Burggraf." 

This  was  a  startling  announcement.  That  he 
was  a  person  of  some  consequence  they  knew,  but 
they  did  not  dream  of  his  rank  being  so  exalted  as 
this.  For  the  Burggraf  was  a  Count  of  the  em- 
pire, appointed  to  his  high  office  by  the  Emperor 
as  his  representative.  And  a  little  trembling  hope 
that  had  crept  unbidden  into  Barbara's  heart  re- 

45 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ceived  a  check  on  her  learning  the  high  rank  of  her 
rescuer. 

While  they  sat  conversing,  the  little  bird  began  to 
whistle  a  popular  melody. 

"Why — what  ? — that  is  one  of  the  songs  of  Hans 
Sachs,  the  cobbler.  How  comes  your  bird  to  know 
the  songs  of  Hans  Sachs?"  said  Frederick,  aston- 
ished. For  the  business  of  teaching  birds  to  sing 
tunes  was  yet  in  its  infancy. 

"It  is  because  Gretchen  is  constantly  singing 
them,"  said  Barbara. 

"Nay,  it  was  Karl  who  taught  him, — not  I.  I 
have  no  time  to  take  so  much  pains." 

"And  who  is  Karl?" 

The  color  mounted  to  the  girl's  cheek.  She  made 
no  reply.  But  Barbara  answered  for  her. 

"Karl  is  my  sister's  betrothed.  He  is  a  fine 
singer,  and  belongs  to  the  Guild  of  the  Meister- 
singers.  He  sang  in  the  patriotic  chorus  yesterday. 
His  name  is  Karl  Steiner." 

"I  believe  I  know  him.  I  have  seen  him  at  the 
meetings  of  the  Guild ;  for  I  also  am  a  member." 

For  the  Guilds  of  the  Meistersingers  included 
all  ranks  of  people.  The  members  were  for  the 

46 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

most  part  men  dependent  on  their  skill  and  industry 
for  their  support;  but  the  most  aristocratic  of  the 
burghers  were  not  too  proud  to  be  found  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Meistersingers.  On  the  contrary,  they 
considered  it  an  honor. 

"Yes,"  continued  Schonberg,  "I  have  noticed  this 
young  Karl  Steiner.  He  has  a  grand  tenor  voice. 
He  makes  good  verses,  too.  So  it  was  he  who 
taught  your  bird  to  sing  those  pretty  love-songs?" 
to  Gretchen. 

"Yes.  He  gave  me  the  bird  in  the  first  place,  and 
has  spared  no  pains  to  train  it." 

"Happy  Karl!  Would  to  heaven,"  with  an  im- 
passioned glance  at  Barbara,  "that  I  could  find  so 
charming  a  way  to  express  the  feelings  of  my  soul ! 
But  I  am  dull  and  stupid.  I  can  neither  write  verses 
nor  train  birds.  I  am  only  a  pupil  of  the  Guild.  I 
fear  I  shall  never  be  a  Master-singer." 

"It  is  nobler  to  be  a  soldier,"  said  Barbara,  soft- 
ly; and  the  young  man's  eyes  beamed  with  pleas- 
ure. 

Frederick  Schonberg  had  the  faculty  of  making 
himself  agreeable  to  everybody.  A  certain  mag- 
netism attracted  people  to  him  almost  in  spite  of 

47 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

themselves.  He  could  readily  adapt  his  conversa- 
tion either  to  the  young  or  the  old;  and  as  he  sat 
there,  while  his  eyes  roved  continually  to  the  fair 
face  and  shapely  form  of  Barbara,  he  chatted 
familiarly  with  the  mother,  and  drew  from  her  much 
of  her  life-history,  and  the, sad  story  of  her  reverse 
of  fortune. 

In  her  youth,  she  had  been  noted  as  one  of  the 
most  charming  women  of  Nuremberg;  and  even 
now,  in  spite  of  care  and  poverty,  and  the  lapse  of 
years,  she  was  still  beautiful,  with  a  quiet  inborn 
dignity  that  pleased  and  attracted  him — all  the  more 
so,  perhaps,  that  he  saw  it  reflected  with  still  greater 
charm  in  Barbara. 

Her  soft  brown  hair,  streaked  thickly  with  threads 
of  silver,  but  fine  and  silkly  like  that  of  her  daugh- 
ters, shaded  a  still  unwrinkled  brow,  and  her  calm 
blue  eyes  gave  evidence  of  the  steadfastness,  purity, 
and  strength  of  the  spirit  that  dwelt  within. 

She  on  her  part  was  equally  pleased  with  the 
affability  of  the  young  nobleman.  She  was  the 
more  drawn  to  him  that  she  saw,  or  fancied  she  saw, 
a  resemblance  in  him  to  her  own  beloved  eldest  son, 
who  had  died  of  the  plague  when  about  the  same 

48 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

age.  Her  maternal  feelings  were  still  further 
touched,  and  a  compassionate  sentiment  awakened, 
by  the  intimation  that  he  was  motherless. 

"I  lost  my  mother/'  said  he,  with  emotion,  "when 
a  mere  boy.  And  oh !  what  a  loss  that  has  been  to 
me!" 

He  took  notice  of  the  great  carved  chair,  so  dif- 
ferent from  its  surroundings,  in  which  she  had  in- 
vited him  to  be  seated,  also  of  the  inlaid  table;  and 
inquired  their  history. 

"They  were  favorite  possessions  of  my  late  hus- 
band, and  at  the  ruin  and  breaking  up  of  my  home, 
I  retained  them  in  remembrance  of  him.  I  suppose 
it  was  foolish ;  but  it  seemed  to  comfort  me." 

"On  the  contrary,  it  did  you  credit.  And  I  feel 
honored  in  being  permitted  to  sit  in  a  relic  so  pre- 
cious. The  carving  is  exquisite.  The  chair  reminds 
me  of  some  that  I  saw  in  the  imperial  palace  at 
Vienna,  where  I  spent  a  year  or  two  at  the  military 
school.  It  was  there  that  I  learned  the  art  of  war," 
with  a  glance  at  Barbara.  "And  I  should  have  liked 
to  join  the  imperial  army;  but  my  father  thought 
my  duty  lay  nearer  home,  as  commandant  of  the 
city  troops." 

49 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"You  have  been  in  Vienna?  Then  you  must 
have  seen  the  Emperor?"  said  Barbara. 

"Yes.  Brave  'Kaiser  Max!'  we  cannot  say  too 
much  in  his  honor.  I  saw  him  frequently.  He  is 
the  grandest,  noblest  knight  of  the  age — truly,  a 
royal  knight.  No  wonder  the  people  shout  and  sing 
in  his  praise  as  they  did  yesterday.  He  is  also 
spoken  of  as  the  'handsomest  man  of  our  times.' ' 

Here  Frederick,  as  he  glanced  at  Barbara,  caught 
an  expression  on  her  face  that  seemed  to  say  there 
was  another  who  might  well  rival  their  emperor 
in  that  respect;  and  he  flashed  back  an  answering 
look  that  made  her  cheek  burn  and  her  eyes  droop. 

He  smiled. 

"But  it  is  the  Emperor's  nobility  of  character  that 
calls  forth  our  highest  admiration,  and  draws  men's 
hearts  to  him.  He  is  the  very  soul  of  truth  and 
honor.  None  ever  applied  to  him  for  justice,  ami 
failed  to  obtain  it." 

After  a  prolonged  interview  he  took  his  leave, 
having  made  a  most  favorable  impression  on  the 
minds  of  all. 

On  his  side,  he  was  charmed  with  the  purity, 
modesty,  and  general  superiority  of  the  inmates  of 

50 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  cottage,  and  more  and  more  captivated  with  the 
girl  whom  fortune  and  a  restive  horse  seemed  to 
have  thrown  into  his  arms. 

But  with  all  his  wiles,  he  failed  to  gain  the  good 
will  of  the  big  black  cat,  which  eyed  him  sus- 
piciously, and  refused  to  sit  on  his  lap.  Nor  was  he 
more  successful  with  the  bullfinch,  Vogel* — so 
Gretchen  had  named  it,  as  being  the  bird  of  all  birds 
to  her,  because  it  was  Karl's  gift : — which  cocked  its 
little  black  head  to  one  side,  puffed  out  its  russet-red 
breast,  and  looked  at  him  out  of  its  intelligent  eyes, 
but  utterly  refused  to  resume  its  song  at  his  bid- 
ding. 


*Bird. 

51 


CHAPTER  VI. 

In  Gretchen's  love  affair  there  had  been  very  little 
romance.  The  course  of  true  love  in  her  case  had 
run  smooth  and  even,  without  any  jagged  rocks  or 
swirling  whirlpools  to  disturb  its  placidity. 

Karl  Steiner,  a  broad-shouldered,  stalwart  young 
fellow,  was  the  son  of  the  wool-merchant  for  whom 
she  spun  the  yarn,  that  was  afterwards  to  be  woven 
into  cloth  by  the  slow,  laborious  work  of  the  hand- 
loom. 

To  this  merchant's  warehouse  she  was  accustomed 
to  go,  week  by  week,  to  procure  the  wool  for  her 
spinning.  The  warehouse  was  a  considerable  dis- 
tance from  her  mother's  cottage,  and  she  had  several 
crowded  streets  to  traverse,  with  her  burden;  but 
though  her  delicate  limbs  trembled  beneath  the 
weight  of  the  pack  of  wool,  her  heart  was  light,  and 
when  she  thought  of  all  that  her  mother  had  done 
for  her,  she  scarcely  felt  the  fatigue. 

Karl  was  employed  in  his  father's  warerooms. 

52 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

It  was  his  business  to  weigh  out  the  wool  to  the 
spinners. 

As  Gretchen  came  from  week  to  week,  to  return 
the  smooth,  evenly  spun  yarn,  and  obtain  a  fresh 
supply  of  wool,  he  was  attracted  to  her  by  her  beauty 
and  modest  deportment. 

One  day,  as  she  left  the  warehouse,  her  slender 
form  bending  beneath  the  weight  of  a  bulky  burden, 
he  called  a  comrade  to  take  his  place  at  the  scales, 
and  followed  her. 

"I  am  going  your  way,  Gretchen,"  he  said,  as  he 
overtook  her.  "Let  me  carry  your  bundle  of  wool." 

With  a  gentle  force,  he  relieved  her  of  it;  and 
slinging  it  lightly  on  his  shoulder  accompanied  her 
to  the  door  of  her  home,  where  he  set  down  the  pack, 
and  with  a  smile  and  a  bow,  passed  rapidly  on,  with- 
out giving  her  time  to  express  her  thanks. 

Week  after  week  this  was  repeated;  for  by  a  re- 
markable coincidence,  the  young  man  always  hap- 
pened to  be  "going  her  way"  at  that  particular  hour. 

And  in  process  of  time  Karl  and  Gretchen  were 
betrothed,  with  the  full  consent  and  approval  of 
Steiner's  parents. 

"For,"  said  the  worthy  wool  merchant,  "what  if 

53 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  girl  is  poor,  and  obliged  to  work  for  her  living  ? 
I  was  poor  myself  once ;  and  now  I  am  a  prosperous 
burgher  of  Nuremberg,  and  can  hold  my  own  with 
the  best  of  them.  And,  as  Ludwig  Steiner  is  a 
burgher,  so  was  Bernhard  Uhler  no  less  a  burgher. 
He  wras  unfortunate,  and  I  have  been  favored  by 
Providence — is  that  any  reason  why  I  should  scorn 
his  daughter,  or  refuse  to  let  my  son  wed  with  her  ? 
A  pretty  girl  she  is,  and  as  honest  and  true  as  she 
is  pretty.  Never  is  there  a  knot  or  a  raveling  or  a 
kink  in  the  yarn  she  spins." 

Although  betrothed,  their  marriage  was  not  to 
take  place  for  some  time,  owing  to  the  youthfulness 
of  the  lovers.  But  Karl  and  Gretchen,  being  de- 
votedly attached  to  each  other,  were  very  happy  in 
the  intermediate  time. 


54 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Only  a  few  days  had  elapsed,  when  Schonberg 
paid  a  second  visit  to  the  cottage.  This  time  it  was 
ostensibly  to  order  one  of  the  exquisite  little  baskets 
woven  by  Barbara's  busy  fingers,  which  he  wished 
to  purchase  as  a  gift  to  a  friend,  and  for  which  he 
insisted  on  paying  much  more  than  the  price  she  had 
asked  for  it. 

After  that,  he  came  again,  and  yet  again,  many 
times,  without  any  excuse  at  all,  except  the  undis- 
guised pleasure  of  being  in  Barbara's  company. 

Not  unfrequently  he  met  Karl  there,  in  the  long 
summer  evenings,  after  the  business  of  the  ware- 
rooms  was  closed  for  the  day.  At  first,  the  young 
burgher  was  rather  shy  of  the  young  patrician ;  but 
the  all-pervading  affability  of  Frederick  conquered 
him,  and  they  became  warm  friends. 

Being  both  members,  the  two  young  men  would 
often  sing  together  the  songs  they  had  learned  at  the 
meetings  of  the  Guild  of  Master-singers.  In  these 
songs,  Gretchen  would  sometimes  join,  with  her 

55 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

flute-like  treble,  and  Barbara  with  a  soft  yet  thrilling 
second.  For  though  women  were  not  admitted  to 
the  classes  of  the  Guild,  the  quick  ears  of  the  girls 
soon  caught  the  airs  from  the  singing  of  their  lovers. 

And  every  love-song  that  was  sung — for  they 
were  chiefly  love  songs — Frederick's  eloquent  eyes, 
as  they  rested  on  the  fair  face  of  Barbara,  translated 
into  their  own  impassioned  language. 

And  sometimes  the  quartette  became  a  quintette; 
for  Vogel  would  join  in  it  with  all  his  powers  of 
song ;  occasionally  varying  the  programme  by  jump- 
ing off  his  perch,  and  cracking  a  hard  hempseed  with 
his  short  little  round  bill.  At  which  they  would  all 
laugh,  in  the  light-heartedness  of  youth. 

The  Society  of  the  Master-singers,  which  had  its 
headquarters  in  Nuremberg,  was  an  organization 
that  for  three  hundred  years  dominated  the  poetic 
literature  of  Germany.  Its  most  noted  name  was 
that  of  Hans  Sachs,  as  among  the  Minnesingers  of 
a  former  epoch,  that  of  Walther  von  der  Vogel- 
weide  was  the  most  illustrious. 

That  its  rules  were  most  rigid  is  well  known. 
The  Tabulator,  or  list  of  rules  governing  the  singing 

56 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  a  master-song,  specified  thirty-three  faults  to  be 
avoided,  and  the  penalties  attached  to  them. 

"To  become  a  master,  one  must  begin  as  'a 
scholar.-'  royal  road  to  perfection  there  was  none. 
To  have  obtained  by  study  a  familiarity  with  the 
rules  was  to  be  a  'school  friend.'  To  be  able  to  sing 
a  number  of  songs  correctly  was  to  earn  a  place  as  a 
' singer.'  He  who  could  make  verses  for  a  specified 
tune  might  be  a  'poet'  and,  finally,  the  originating 
of  an  entirely  new  scheme  of  verse  to  a  known  or 
an  original  tune,  was  to  qualify  for  a  'mastership.' 
The  aspirant  to  this  high  position  must,  however, 
accomplish  much  before  the  honor  was  awarded  to 
him." 

The  three  annual  festal  days  of  the  Guild  were 
held  at  Christmas,  Easter,  and  Whitsuntide.  They 
were  occasions  of  competitive  singing,  at  which 
prizes  were  awarded  to  the  best  singer  of  a  song, 
he  being  also  the  composer  of  the  song. 

The  ordinary  meetings  of  the  classes  were  held 
in  the  little  church  of  Saint  Martha,  where  also  the 
song  festivals  were  celebrated. 

"Whitsuntide  is  drawing  near,"  said  Frederick 
one  evening,  as  the  friends  sat  at  the  cottage  door 

57 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

enjoying  the  long  clear  twilight  of  northern  Europe. 
"Shall  you  compete  this  year,  Karl?" 

"Yes,  I  shall  compete.  I  have  a  great  desire  to 
win  that  silver  chain — not  that  I  care  for  it  myself ; 
but  little  Gretchen,  here,  has  set  her  heart  on  my 
winning  it." 

"Shall  not  you  compete  also,  Herr  Schonberg?" 
said  Barbara. 

"  'Twould  be  of  no  use.  I  have  not  the  talent  of 
our  friend  Karl.  Were  it  sword-play,  or  lance-play, 
I  might  have  some  chance  of  winning.  But  verse- 
making — ."  He  shook  his  head. 

"But  the  singing — you  might  win  in  that,"  per- 
sisted she.  "Your  voice  is  at  least  as  good  as 
Karl's—" 

"Better,"  interpolated  Karl. 

" — And  I  am  quite  sure  you  could  compose  a  few 
verses  to  some  old  tune,  even  if  you  did  not  make 
a  new  one." 

"Do  you  think  so,  fair  flatterer?  And  do  you 
really  wish  me  to  try  ?  Then  I  shall  enter  my  name 
in  the  singing  contest.  And  if  I  win,  I  claim  the 
privilege  of  laying  my  trophy  at  your  feet.  So  then, 
friend  Karl,  look  out  for  your  laurels !  for  the  cele- 

58 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

brated  poet  Schonberg  is  going  to  enter  the  lists 
against  you." 

When  the  season  of  Whitsuntide  arrived,  the 
church  of  Saint  Martha  was  gaily  decorated  with 
flowers  and  evergreens,  and  there  the  people  gath- 
ered to  the  Festival  of  Song. 

A  framework  covered  with  black  cloth  was  erected 
in  the  church.  On  it  sat  four  of  the  masters.  The 
oldest  had  a  Bible  before  him,  to  note  if  the  singer 
used  the  language  of  Scripture  correctly,  should 
the  song  be  of  a  sacred  character.  The  second  mas- 
ter, known  as  the  "marker,"  noted  every  fault  on  a 
tablet  with  chalk.  The  third  wrote  out  the  last 
word  of  each  line,  and  kept  watch  if  the  rhymes  were 
correct.  The  fourth  listened  sharply  for  faults  in 
the  singing  and  division  of  the  verses. 

The  church  was  filled  with  spectators,  among 
whom  were  found  the  Uhler  sisters,  in  company 
with  the  family  of  Karl  Steiner,  who  of  course  were 
deeply  interested  in  the  contest. 

All  being  ready,  the  first  of  the  contestants  took 
his  place  in  the  singer's  chair,  and  removed  his  hat. 
The  marker  cried:  "Begin!"  and  after  a  short 

59 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

silence,  the  song  was  sung,  the  audience  listening 
with  the  closest  attention. 

Several  contestants  had  appeared,  sung  their 
verses,  and  stepped  aside,  when  the  name  of  Fred- 
erick von  Schonberg  was  called. 

With  graceful  ease,  he  took  his  place,  and  after 
a  pause  in  which  his  eyes  roved  over  the  assembly 
in  search  of  Barbara's  face,  sang  a  little  sonnet  in 
praise  of  love  and  beauty.  It  was  a  trifle,  but 
pretty.  It  was  his  own  composition. 

After  him  came  Karl.  His  song  was  more  elab- 
orate, more  highly  finished,  and  gave  evidence  of 
great  study  and  painstaking.  His  large  frame,  wide 
chest,  and  head  well-poised,  formed  a  picture  of 
manly  strength  and  vigor;  and  the  rich,  full  tones 
of  his  voice  filled  the  church. 

Others  followed;  and  in  the  opinion  of  many,  it 
was  the  best  exhibition  of  talent  that  had  been  given 
in  several  years. 

The  first  prize  was  awarded  to  Karl  Steiner.  He 
was  adjudged  to  have  sung  the  best;  and  was  dec- 
orated with  a  massive  silver  chain,  on  the  links  of 
which  the  names  of  the  masters,  past  and  present, 
were  engraved,  and  from  which  depended  many 

60 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

coins  and  medals  donated  by  the  masters  and  friends 
of  the  organization. 

The  winning  of  the  first  prize  was  considered  an 
honor,  not  only  to  the  successful  competitor,  but  also 
to  his  family,  and  his  trade  guild,  if  he  belonged  to 
one. 

The  second  prize,  to  the  surprise  of  every  one  (in- 
cluding himself)  was  awarded  to  Frederick  von 
Schonberg,  in  token  of  which,  he  was  crowned  with 
a  wreath  of  flowers. 

Joy  danced  in  the  eyes  of  Gretchen  as  her  lover 
approached  her,  adorned  with  the  much-coveted 
silver  chain. 

Frederick,  as  the  crowd  was  dispersing,  advanced 
to  where  Barbara  stood  with  Wilhelmina  Steiner, 
Karl's  sister,  took  the  wreath  of  flowers  from  his 
head,  and  laid  it  at  her  feet,  with  mock  solemnity. 

"I  am  a  poet!  I  did  not  know  it  before!  It  is 
you  that  have  made  me  one."  Then  stooping  to  her 
ear,  he  whispered:  "It  is  love  that  has  made  me  a 
poet,  as  love  made  the  Fleming,  Quentin  Matsys,  a 
painter." 

The  highest  prize  of  all  was  a  representation  of 
King  David  playing  on  the  harp,  stamped  on  a  gold 

61 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

plate.  It  was  only  given  to  those  who  had  already 
won  all  the  other  prizes;  and  was  awarded  to  none 
on  the  present  occasion. 


62 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

After  the  song  festival,  Frederick's  visits  to  the 
cottage  became  even  more  frequent. 

Perhaps  none  of  the  party  enjoyed  those  visits 
more  than  did  Dame  Uhler  herself. 

It  had  been  the  dream  of  her  life  to  see  her  daugh- 
ters freed  from  the  burden  of  toil,  and  restored  to 
the  station  in  life  from  which  their  father's  accumu- 
lated misfortunes  had  hurled  them.  With  this 
thought  in  view,  she  had  reared  them  most  carefully, 
guarding  them  especially  from  contact  with  the  low 
and  coarse  elements  of  those  surroundings  to  which 
her  poverty  condemned  them.  Even  when  the 
twins  were  little  girls,  she  would  not  let  them  play 
with  the  rough,  ill-mannered  children  of  the  Kleine- 
Strasse — to  the  no  small  indignation  both  of  the 
children  and  their  mothers,  who  stigmatized  the  sis- 
ters as  the  "proud  little  Uhlers." 

Being  a  woman  of  excellent  understanding,  and, 
for  the  times  in  which  she  lived,  well  educated,  she 
had  taught  them  all  she  knew  herself;  at  the  same 

63 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

time  insensibly  imparting  to  them  that  refinement 
which  comes  from  personal  contact  with  the  refined, 
and  which  no  book  learning  can  supply. 

In  the  growing  attachment  of  the  young  patrician 
for  Barbara,  she  saw  a  vision  of  future  prosperity 
and  happiness.  For,  with  the  example  of  honest, 
true-hearted  Karl  before  her,  how  could  she  doubt 
that  Frederick's  attentions  were  equally  honorable? 

But  alas !  for  those  dreams !  from  them  there  had 
to  come  an  awakening. 

She  did  not  know  that  Frederick's  visits  to  the 
cottage  were  stolen  visits,  of  which  his  father,  the 
Burggraf,  knew  nothing — that  Jerome,  his  servant, 
was  sworn  to  secrecy  on  the  subject — that  a  bride 
had  already  been  selected  for  him  in  the  person  of 
the  Lady  Alexia  Eisenfeld,  daughter  of  one  of  the 
wealthiest  nobles  of  Bavaria — that  he,  at  his  father's 
suggestion,  had  promised  to  marry  this  lady,  and 
that  the  contract  was  already  signed,  although  the 
betrothal  had  not  yet  taken  place. 

Frederick  Schonberg  was  the  spoiled  child  of 
fortune.  The  son  of  opulent  and  indulgent  parents, 
he  had  from  his  earliest  years  scarcely  known  what 
it  was  to  have  a  wish  ungratified. 

64 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Gifted,  in  addition  to  wealth  and  position,  with 
personal  beauty  and  knightly  accomplishments,  an 
elegant  address,  and  a  winning  tongue,  his  society 
was  courted  in  every  circle.  Ladies  smiled  upon 
him,  bright  eyes  grew  brighter  at  his  approach,  and 
he  had  learned  to  believe  that  his  attractions  were 
irresistible. 

Having  lost  his  mother  at  an  early  age,  and  hav- 
ing no  sisters,  the  sweet  restraints  of  home  had  ex- 
ercised no  influence  over  him.  For  his  father, 
though  one  of  the  noblest  of  men,  was  so  immersed 
in  civic  business,  that  he  could  not  bestow  that  care 
on  the  son's  education  which  would  have  insured  the 
young  man's  treading  in  his  own  honored  footsteps. 

Furnished  with  unlimited  funds,  surrounded  by 
flatterers,  and  seduced  by  evil  associates,  it  was 
little  wonder  that  Frederick's  ungoverned  passions 
should  have  led  him  into  vices  that  tarnished  his 
honor,  and  wounded  his  self-respect. 

At  twenty-two,  he  had  already  "seen  life." 

Many  times,  no  doubt,  his  "young  man's  fancy" 
had  "lightly  turned  to  thoughts  of  love."  But  un- 
til the  moment  when  he  first  beheld  Barbara  Uhler, 
he  had  never  felt  a  real  love — his  engagement  to 

65 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  Lady  Alexia  being  a  family  affair,  in  which  his 
heart  was  not  much  interested. 

When,  after  rescuing  Barbara  from  her  perilous 
position,  he  sent  his  servant  to  ascertain  where  she 
lived,  he  had  thought  of  her  merely  as  some  peasant 
girl  with  whom,  in  the  loose  gallantry  of  the  age,  he 
might  have  a  few  hours'  diversion.  But  instead  of 
that,  he  had  met  his  fate.  Instead  of  a  mere  pass- 
ing fancy,  the  one  absorbing  passion  that  comes  but 
once  in  a  lifetime  had  taken  possession  of  his  whole 
being.  And  every  successive  visit  to  the  cottage 
plunged  him  deeper  in  the  flood. 

To  win  her  love  was  now  the  object  of  his  life. 

Forsaking  the  society  of  the  boon  companions 
with  whom  he  had  been  wont  to  seek  pleasure  of  a 
rather  low  and  sensuous  description,  he  found  in  the 
purer  atmosphere  of  the  widow's  cottage  a  new  and 
inexpressible  delight. 

So  intimate  did  he  become  that  he  frequently 
stayed  on  the  widow's  invitation  to  partake  of  their 
simple  Abendessen,  or  supper;  and  never  did  the 
costliest  cates  served  up  at  the  Burggraf's  table  taste 
so  sweet  to  him  as  the  brown  bread  and  water- 
cresses,  with  perhaps  a  bit  of  ewe-milk  cheese, 

66 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

offered  to  him  by  Barbara,  and  eaten  in  the  light  of 
her  smile. 

He  made  many  presents,  not  only  to  Barbara  her- 
self, but  to  the  family,  sending  Jerome,  now  with  a 
basket  of  choice  fruit,  now  with  a  brace  of  quail 
or  partridge,  shot  by  his  own  cross-bow,  or  brought 
down  by  his  falcons,  when  he  engaged  in  the  chase 
with  the  young  cavaliers  and  ladies  of  his  own  class. 

One  of  his  earliest  gifts  to  Barbara  was  a  lute,  on 
which  instrument  he  himself  played  passably  well, 
and  in  the  use  of  which  he  took  great  pleasure  in 
teaching  her.  At  their  little  family  concerts,  also, 
the  lute's  accompaniment  proved  an  agreeable  ad- 
junct. 

He  frequently  took  the  party  (Karl  included)  to 
see  the  marionettes,  or  puppet-plays — a  species  of 
dramatic  entertainment  much  in  vogue  at  the  time, 
and  which  we  are  told  even  Shakespeare  and  Ben 
Jonson  took  delight  in. 

In  order  to  conceal  this  intimacy  from  his  father 
and  his  associates,  he  seldom  went  directly  to  the  cot- 
tage in  the  Kleine  Strasse;  but,  mounting  his  horse 
as  if  for  a  ride,  accompanied  by  his  servant,  would 
make  a  wide  detour,  dismount  in  a  neighboring 

67 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

street,  leave  the  animal  in  the  hands  of  Jerome,  and 
slip  unperceived  to  the  place  of  attraction.  With 
the  same  end  in  view,  he  laid  aside  on  such  occasions 
the  rich  and  showy  attire — the  silks  and  velvets, 
the  ribbons  and  laces  and  jewels,  in  which  the  young 
nobles  were  wont  to  array  themselves — and  substi- 
tuted for  it  a  plain  citizen's  dress,  in  all  respects, 
save  perhaps  fineness  of  texture,  the  same  as  that  of 
his  new  friend,  Karl  Steiner,  the  wool  merchant's 
son. 

"Come!"  said  he,  one  evening,  on  calling  at  the 
cottage,  "Let  us  go  to  the  puppet-show.  They  have 
a  new  play  on  the  wires,  which  will  no  doubt  be 
worth  seeing." 

The  rest  of  the  party  joyfully  agreed  to  this 
proposal. 

Accompanied  by  Karl  and  the  two  girls,  he  was 
proceeding  towards  the  place  where  the  marionette 
performance  was  to  be  given,  when  he  suddenly 
ran  up  against  Rupert  von  Eisenfeld,  the  tall,  hand- 
some brother  of  the  Lady  Alexia.  He  was  clad  in 
hunting-suit  of  dark  green,  with  silver  trimmings, 
and  wore  on  his  head  a  velvet  cap  with  an  eagle's 
feather. 

68 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Ha!  Fritz,"  exclaimed  he,  "well  met!  At  first 
I  hardly  knew  you,  in  that  rig.  Whither  bound?" 

Frederick  turned  first  red  and  then  pale,  fof 
Alexia's  brother  was  of  all  persons  the  one  whom 
he  would  have  wished  to  avoid.  But  in  the  gather- 
ing twilight  his  prospective  brother-in-law  did  not 
seem  to  notice  his  confusion. 

Recovering  himself  in  a  moment,  he  answered, 
boldly:  "Going  with  these  friends  to  the  puppet- 
play.  Will  you  not  join  us?" 

"No.  I  cannot.  I  have  a  long  ride  before  me* 
and  shall  scarce  reach  home  by  midnight." 

"What  is  your  hurry?  There  are  spare  beds  at 
my  father's  house,"  said  Frederick,  forcing  himself 
to  appear  hospitable. 

Rupert  again  declined,  however;  and  with  great 
relief  Schonberg  saw  him  disappear  around  the 
corner,  apparently  suspecting  nothing. 

But  Rupert,  though  not  of  a  reflective  turn  of 
mind,  could  not  help  pondering  on  the  subject  as 
he  rode  homeward.  So  much  was  he  impressed  by 
it,  that  on  the  following  morning  he  sought  a 
private  interview  with  his  father. 

69 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  saw  a  queer  thing  yesterday  in  Nuremberg, 
father." 

"What  was  it,  my  son?" 

"After  I  had  finished  the  business  that  took  me 
to  the  city,  as  I  was  hastening  back  to  the  hostelry 
where  I  had  stabled  my  horse,  whom  should  I  meet 
but  Fritz  von  Schonberg,  masquerading  in  a  plain 
citizen's  dress  of  gray  cloth,  a  little  woolen  cap  like 
a  prentice's  cap  on  his  head,  without  plume  or  jewel 
or  ribbon;  and  accompanied  by  two  young  women 
and  a  young  man,  evidently  of  a  rank  much  inferior 
to  his  own.  He  said  they  were  going  to  some  place 
of  amusement,  and  that  they  were  friends  of  his, 
but  he  did  not  present  them  to  me,  and  seemed  em- 
barrassed, and  anxious  to  keep  them  in  the  back- 
ground. Now,  what  does  that  mean?" 

"Tut,  tut!"  said  the  Baron,  with  a  deprecatory 
wave  of  his  hand;  "that  is  nothing.  Young  men 
have  their  fancies,  their  little  secrets,  their  adven- 
tures, into  which  it  will  not  do  to  look  too  closely. 
Think  no  more  of  it!" 

"But  they  did  not  seem  to  be  of  that  sort  at  all. 
The  girls  were  pretty  and  modest-looking,  and  so 
much  alike  that  I  could  not  tell  one  from  the  other. 

70 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

And  the  young  man  appeared  quite  respectable,  and 
not  at  all  of  the  rowdy  or  swash-buckler  breed.  And 
now  I  think  of  it,  I  believe  he  was  one  of  the  forty 
members  of  the  Guild,  who  sang  the  song  of  victory 
at  the  Emperor's  parade." 

"That  accounts  for  it,"  said  the  Baron.  "Schon- 
berg  is  a  member  also.  As  chums  and  comrades  of 
the  Guild,  they  would  naturally  fraternize.  And 
the  girls  might  have  been  the  young  man's  sisters." 

"But  the  disguise?" 

"Pshaw!  some  whim  of  Schonberg's.  Again  I 
say,  think  no  more  of  it.  And  above  all,  say  noth- 
ing of  it  in  Alexia's  hearing." 

"But  it  is  on  Alexia's  account,  and  as  Alexia's 
brother,  that  I  am  troubled  about  it.  Under  the 
circumstances,  he  has  no  right — " 

"Softly,  my  son.  Do  not  you  interfere.  I  have 
made  it  a  rule  through  life,  not  to  meddle  in  other 
people's  affairs.  And  'tis  a  wise  rule.  No  good 
ever  comes  of  family  interference.  Let  things  take 
their  course.  Only — keep  it  from  Alexia." 

"But  in  this  case,"  persisted  Rupert,  "where  my 
sister's  happiness  is  at  stake,  I  think  interference 
would  be  fully  justified.  If  Frederick  is  playing 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

fast  and  loose  with  her,  and  carrying  on  an  affair  of 
which  he  is  ashamed  with  another  woman,  it  is  your 
right  as  her  father,  or  mine  as  her  eldest  brother, 
to  interfere,  even  at  the  point  of  the  sword." 

And  Rupert's  honest  blue  eyes  gleamed  with  a 
dangerous  light,  like  the  glitter  of  burnished  steel. 
For  he  loved  his  sister  dearly. 

Indeed,  being  the  only  girl  among  five  grown-up 
brothers,  she  ruled  in  their  hearts  like  a  queen  over 
the  most  devoted  subjects ;  and  there  was  not  one  of 
them  who  would  not,  like  Rupert,  have  risked  his 
life  to  avenge  any  slight  or  indignity  offered  her. 

But  the  Baron  viewed  the  matter  differently  from 
his  son. 

"No,  no,  not  so,"  said  the  Baron.  "Let  him 
alone.  When  Frederick  has  sowed  all  his  wild  oats, 
he  will  settle  down  and  become  a  worthy  man,  I 
have  no  doubt." 

With  this  fallacious  reasoning,  so  ready  on  men's 
lips,  so  misleading  and  ruinous  in  effect,  the  Baron 
quieted  the  suspicions  of  his  son.  And  the  subject 
was  dropped. 

Meantime  Frederick,  all  unconscious  of  how 
near  he  had  been  to  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  had 

72 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

gaily  conducted  his  friends  to  the  puppet-show ;  and 
in  the  amusement  afforded  by  the  mimic  performers, 
and  the  delight  of  being  with  Barbara,  the  little  cir- 
cumstance was  soon  forgotten.  But  it  must  be 
owned  that  he  saw  little  of  what  was  passing  on  the 
stage,  so  absorbed  was  he  in  observing  Barbara's 
beauty,  and  listening  to  her  sweet  voice  and  silvery 
laugh. 

Thus  the  summer  drifted  away,  and  Frederick 
Schonberg  drifted  with  it,  scarcely  pausing  to  con- 
sider whither  its  tide  was  bearing  him. 


73 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Jerome,  Frederick's  servant,  was  a  close  observer 
of  all  that  passed;  and  being  deeply  imbued  with 
superstition,  put  his  own  construction  on  his  mas- 
ter's infatuation.  He  believed  it  to  be  the  effect  of 
sorcery. 

He  had  a  friend,  named  Gottlieb,  another  lackey, 
with  whom  he  was  accustomed  to  discuss  the  subject 
— for  Jerome's  idea  of  keeping  his  master's  secrets 
was  to  communicate  them  to  his  friend. 

To  him  he  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  extraor- 
dinary power  obtained  over  his  master  by  the  inmates 
of  the  cottage  was  the  result  of  the  Black  Art. 

"For  I  know  not  how  else  to  account  for  it.  That 
a  young  noble  like  my  master,  who  could  choose  any 
girl  in  the  circle  of  Franconia — nay,  who  is  affianced 
to  one  of  the  finest  of  them  all — should  turn  his  back 
on  those  of  his  own  rank,  and  devote  himself  to 
the  society  of  a  poor  miserable  basket-maker!  It 
passes  my  comprehension !  Were  it  the  other  sister, 

74 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

— she  with  the  bright  eyes  and  fluffy  hair — I  could 
understand  it  better.  But  no  more  of  that." 

"Can  nothing  be  done  to  save  him  from  their 
toils?" 

"I  know  of  nothing,"  said  Jerome,  gloomily.  "If 
you  knew  my  master  as  well  as  I  do,  you  would 
understand  that  he  will  have  his  way,  even  if  it  leads 
to  his  own  destruction." 

Soon  after  this  conversation,  something  occurred 
that  served  to  confirm  Jerome's  worst  fears. 

Frederick,  having  learned  that  Barbara's  mother 
was  suffering  from  a  fit  of  illness,  sent  her  with 
thoughtful  kindness  a  flask  of  choice  wine  to 
strengthen  her. 

Jerome  was  as  usual  the  bearer  of  the  gift;  and 
in  delivering  it  had  well-nigh  come  to  grief. 

It  happened  that  the  black  cat,  instead  of  lying  on 
the  window-sill  as  formerly,  had  stretched  itself  at 
full  length  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  in  front  of  the 
fire;  and  Jerome,  not  observing  it,  unfortunately 
set  his  foot  on  its  tail. 

With  a  yell  of  pain,  the  animal  started  up,  spat 
at  him  furiously,  and  darted  out  of  the  cottage  door 
like  a  flash. 

75 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"And  as  I  am  a  living  man!"  said  Jerome,  in  de- 
tailing the  circumstances  to  his  friend  and  crony 
Gottlieb,  "as  I  am  a  living  man,  I  believe  that  cat 
was  the  Foul  Fiend  himself!  For  when  I  got  to 
the  door — and  I  tell  you  I  did  not  tarry — I  looked 
up  the  street  and  down  the  street,  but  not  a  vestige 
of  that  cat  could  I  see !  It  had  vanished !" 

"That  was  a  fearsome  thing,  truly,"  said  his 
sympathizing  friend. 

"Yes.  And  that  is  not  the  only  thing  that  makes 
me  suspicious  of  those  women.  Do  you  know, 
Gottlieb,  I  think  they  have  bewitched  my  master. 
He  can  neither  eat  nor  sleep  for  thinking  of  that 
girl.  He  has  forsaken  all  his  former  associates,  and 
spends  hours  and  hours  in  that  little  hovel  in  the 
Kleine  Strasse.  I  fear  they  have  given  him  a 
philter,  or  enchanted  love  potion." 

"I  have  heard  of  such  things,"  said  Gottlieb. 
"The  saints  deliver  us  from  all  such  devilish  con- 
trivances !" 

"Then  besides  all  that,  they  have  a  queer  bird, — 
a  little  black-headed  fellow  of  a  bullfinch,  that  can 
sing  songs  like  a  mortal.  And  how  could  it  learn 
to  do  that,  except  some  evil  spirit  had  possessed  it? 

76 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Anyway,  if  they  are  not  witches,  they  are  Hussites, 
or  Calixtines,  or  whatever  they  call  themselves,  and 
therefore  capable  of  anything  evil.  The  neighbors 
say  they  never  go  to  confession,  nor  admit  a  priest 
within  their  doors.  Moreover,  they  have  been  seen 
reading  certain  mysterious  writings,  and  offering 
prayers  not  sanctioned  by  the  church — probably  to 
demons." 

"A  heretic  is  worse  than  a  witch,"  remarked  Gott- 
lieb. 

"I  don't  know,  Gottlieb.  There  is  little  to  choose 
between  them.  The  stake  is  the  only  cure  for  either 
one.  But  I  wish  my  master  were  quit  of  them,  and 
safe  married  to  the  red-haired  Baroness  Alexia. 
Ah,  Gottlieb,  that  is  a  bride  worth  having!  Her 
father  has  immense  estates.  True,  she  has  five 
brothers — but  there  will  be  a  goodly  portion  for 
each  when  the  old  Baron  dies.  And  yet  my  master 
cares  not  for  her,  but  is  throwing  himself  away  on 
this  penniless  witch-woman's  child." 

"  'Tis  surely  a  strange  thing." 

"And  then, — the  airs  they  put  on!  I  did  but 
touch  my  cap  one  day  to  the  fluffy-haired  one,  and 
give  her  one  of  my  smiles, — which  you  know,  Gott- 

77 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

lieb,  are  pleasing  to  most  girls, — but  lord!  she  gave 
me  a  look  of  scorn ;  and  the  mother  rebuked  me  for 
a  saucy  varlet" 


CHAPTER  X. 

It  was  true,  as  Jerome  had  intimated,  that  the 
Uhlers  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the  Hussites — those 
early  reformers  who  came  before  Luther,  and  who, 
although  their  leader,  John  Huss,  perished  at  the 
stake,  had  spread  throughout  Germany,  preparing 
the  way,  like  the  Wycliffites  in  England,  for  the 
advent  of  the  greater  Reformation. 

Bernhard  Uhler  had  been  a  zealous  and  prominent 
person  in  the  new  sect,  frequently  assisting  his  less 
fortunate  brethren  by  the  liberal  use  of  his  ample 
means,  yet  conducting  himself  with  so  much  dis- 
cretion as  to  avoid  the  persecutions  to  which  some 
were  subjected. 

After  his  death,  his  widow  had  adhered  to  the 
same  faith,  and  brought  up  her  children  in  it.  But 
their  belief  in  the  new  teachings  was  quiet  and  un- 
obtrusive, showing  itself  rather  in  purity  of  life  and 
the  faithful  discharge  of  all  the  duties  that  belong 
to  life,  than  in  controversy  and  debate. 

When  the  widow  invited  Frederick  Schonberg  to 

79 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

be  seated  in  the  great  arm  chair,  and  pointed  out  to 
him  the  beauty  of  the  inlaid  table,  she  did  not  tell 
him  that  both  chair  and  table  concealed  a  secret 
which,  if  known,  might  have  brought  the  family  into 
trouble. 

Under  the  cushions  of  the  one,  ana  in  the  secret 
receptacle  in  the  mechanism  of  the  other,  lay  hidden 
certain  Hussite  manuscripts,  copies  of  portions  of 
the  Bible,  forbidden  to  the  laity,  written  in  the  Ger- 
man or  the  Bohemian  language,  with  other  writ- 
ings of  Huss  and  his  compeers — treasures  to  her  be- 
yond computation,  which  if  discovered  by  the  agents 
of  the  Inquisition,  would  have  gone  to  feed  the 
flames,  as  perchance  might  have  been  the  fate  of 
their  possessors. 

Meantime,  as  Frederick's  visits  to  the  cottage  con- 
tinued, his  passion  increased,  until  he  felt  that  with- 
out Barbara  life  would  not  be  worth  living.  He 
had  never  yet  spoken  of  love  to  her,  for  his  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  her  alone  had  been  few;  but  he 
knew  that  he  had  won  her  artless  and  innocent  heart. 

And  he — forsooth! — had  promised  to  marry  the 
Lady  Alexia  von  Eisenfeld! 

But  the  thought  of  this  marriage,  in  which  his 
80 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

heart  had  never  been  engaged,  became  daily  more 
distasteful  to  him. 

"Frederick,"  said  the  Burggraf  one  day,  "I  am 
about  to  set  out  on  a  visit  to  the  Castle  of  Eisenfeld, 
in  order  to  see  the  Baron,  and  finish  the  legal  busi- 
ness connected  with  your  marriage.  Shall  you 
accompany  me,  in  order  to  pay  your  respects  to  the 
Lady  Alexia?" 

The  young  man  started  to  his  feet,  paie  as  death. 

"I — I — excuse  me,  dear  father,"  he  stammered. 
"It  will  not  be  convenient  for  me  to  go  at  this 
time." 

"I  am  sorry.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  not  a 
very  ardent  lover.  When  I  courted  your  dear 
mother,  it  was  different." 

"That  was  because  you  loved  my  mother,  and  I — 
oh,  my  mother!  would  to  God  she  were  alive  now! 
For  I  need  her  counsels." 

"Is  anything  troubling  you,  my  son?"  said  the 
Burggraf,  struck  with  the  tones  of  his  voice,  which 
trembled  in  spite  of  him. 

Why  did  he  not  stand  up  and  say:  "Father!  I 
love  another  woman.  She  is  beautiful  and  good. 
She  is  the  equal  of  the  Lady  Alexia  in  all  save  wealth 

81 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

and  social  standing.  She  is  my  heart's  desire — the 
woman  of  my  choice !  Break  off  negotiations  with 
Baron  von  Eisenfeld,  and  let  me  marry  Barbara 
Uhler!" 

Instead  of  this  manly  course,  he  merely  said: 
"You  had  better  postpone  your  visit,  dear  father.  I 
see  some  heavy  clouds  hanging  on  the  mountains. 
I  fear  you  will  be  caught  in  a  storm." 

And  to  his  great  relief,  his  father  yielded.  For 
the  Castle  of  Eisenfeld  was  twenty  miles  distant, 
up  among  the  mountains  of  Bavaria,  and  the  journey 
had  to  be  performed  on  horseback. 

But  this  was  only  putting  off  the  evil  day;  for 
the  matter  still  hung  over  him,  like  the  clouds  on 
the  mountains. 

A  decision  must  be  arrived  at.  But  what  de- 
cision? Marry  the  Baroness  he  must.  His  word 
was  pledged.  To  break  it  were  to  put  an  affront 
on  a  noble  and  high-born  lady  which  would  embroil 
the  two  families  in  a  deadly  feud,  and  make  a  breach 
between  himself  and  his  father,  on  whom  he  was 
wholly  dependent 

But  to  give  up  Barbara?    That  was  impossible. 

"Oh,  that  I  were  free  to  follow  the  dictates  of 
82 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

my  heart!"  he  sighed.     "Then  would  I  make  thee 
my  bride,  my  sweet  Barbara!    Then  would  I  taste 

true  happiness!    But " 

But  the  wish,  though  oft  repeated,  brought  him 
no  nearer  the  solution  of  the  difficulty. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

He  now  watched  for  an  opportunity  to  confer 
with  Barbara  alone. 

But  such  opportunities  were  rare,  owing  to  the 
strictness  of  the  widow's  family  rules.  If  he  some-1 
times  met  her  near  the  wondrous  shrine  in  Saint 
Sebaldus'  Church,  where  she  went  to  perform  her 
devotions,  she  was  sure  to  be  accompanied  by  either1 
her  mother  or  sister.  Sometimes  he  encountered 
her  in  the  market-place,  as  she  rested  her  slender 
basket  of  provisions  on  the  railing  of  the  "Beautiful 
Fountain;"  but  that,  in  the  midst  of  the  noise  and 
turmoil  of  traffic — the  shrill  cries  of  the  market- 
women  in  their  red  petticoats  and  quilted  caps,  the 
cackling  of  hens,  the  squeaking  of  pigs,  and  other 
kindred  sounds — was  no  place  for  conversation. 

One  day,  Barbara  had  gone  to  a  low-lying  field 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  little  out  of  the  city, 
where  grew  the  osiers  best  suited  for  the  fine  basket 
work  in  which  she  excelled — osiers  of  a  peculiar1 
growth,  long,  supple,  slender,  and  valuable  in  pro- 

84 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

portion  to  their  length,  their  suppleness,  their  slen- 
derness,  and  their  toughness. 

Having  cut  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  withes 
(technically  "rods")  she  tied  them  up  in  a  bundle 
or  fagot,  to  be  carried  home — there  to  be  peeled  and 
soaked  and  rendered  fit  for  use,  by  a  more  or  less 
laborious  process. 

Then  sitting  down  on  a  grassy  bank,  beneath  the 
spreading  branches  of  a  linden  tree,  she  fell  into 
a  reverie. 

Needless  to  say  of  what  and  of  whom  she  was 
thinking ! 

The  breeze  rustled  gently  through  the  boughs 
of  the  tree  overhead,  and  one  of  the  fragrant  leaves, 
detaching  itself  from  its  pendent  stalk,  dropped  on 
her  lap. 

Barbara  was  well  acquainted  with  the  legends 
connected  with  the  linden,  which  in  Germany  is  the 
lovers'  favorite  tree — probably,  says  one,  because 
its  leaves  are  heart-shaped.  She  knew  that  lovers 
delighted  to  do  their  wooing  under  it,  and  that  the 
love-songs  of  the  people  abounded  with  allusions 
to  it.  She  had  seen  in  the  courtyard  of  the  castle 
the  great  linden  tree  said  to  be  coeval  with  the  found- 

85 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ing  of  the  fortress,  and  to  have  been  planted  by  the 
hand  of  Queen  Cunegunde  herself.  And  she  said 
within  her  heart:  "Who  knows  what  tales  of  love 
that  linden  might  reveal? 

"Under  its  branches  sat  Conrad  with  his  wife 
Gisela.  Under  its  branches  the  great  Emperor  Fred- 
eric Barbarossa  held  sweet  converse  with  his  be- 
loved Beatrice,  whose  influence  over  him  was  so 
great  that  on  one  occasion  he  sent  her  away  from 
him,  lest  her  pleadings  should  hinder  him  from  exe- 
cuting strict  justice  on  some  enemies  of  the  empire. 
Who  knows  but  that  as  he  sits,  according  to  ancient 
legend,  in  his  cave  amid  the  mountains  of  Thuringia, 
surrounded  by  his  knights  in  full  armor,  ready  to 
sally  forth  in  Germany's  most  pressing  hour  of  need 
— who  knows  but  that  the  red-bearded  chieftain 
thinks  of  her  and  of  the  linden  tree  under  which  he 
sat  with  her,  so  many  centuries  ago?" 

To  Barbara,  therefore,  the  falling  of  the  heart- 
shaped  linden  leaf  in  her  lap  seemed  like  a  good 
omen — a  silent  message  of  love  from  her  absent 
lover. 

The  birds  sang  in  the  tree.  The  river  purled 
86 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

i 

softly  at  her  feet.  A  skylark,  poised  in  the  upper 
air,  poured  forth  a  flood  of  melody. 

The  bank  on  which  she  sat  was  gemmed  with 
daisies — not  the  tall  ox-eyed  daisy,  but  the  "wee, 
modest,  crimson  tipped  flower,"  the  Marguerite  of 
the  French,  the  Ganzeriblume  of  the  German  peasant, 
the  theme  of  the  poet  in  many  lands. 

She  picked  a  daisy  from  amid  the  grass;  and, 
scarcely  noting  what  she  was  doing,  began  to  pull 
its  petals  off,  one  by  one,  murmuring  the  while  the 
well-known  rustic  love-test:  "He  loves  me,  he 
loves  me  not,"  etc.  And  when  the  small  yellow 
disc,  with  one  solitary  petal  attached,  answering 
to  the  magic  words,  "He  loves  me!"  remained  in 
her  hand,  she  softly  kissed  it,  and  hid  it  in  the 
bosom  of  her  bodice.  Another  omen ;  and  this  time, 
she  thought,  a  true  one,  surely. 

"For  does  he  not  love  me?"  she  whispered  to 
herself.  "Ah,  yes,  I  cannot  doubt  it.  His  every 
act  and  look  assure  me  of  it.  And  oh !  how  I  love 
him !  My  gallant  knight !  My  noble  cavalier !  Was 
there  ever  another  like  him?" 

Soon  after,  she  heard  the  sound  of  horses'  feet, 
and  on  looking  up,  beheld  Frederick  Schonberg 

87 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

approaching  rapidly,   on  his  good  horse  Saladin. 

Instinctively,  and  with  a  fluttering  heart,  sh£ 
drew  a  swaying  branch  of  willow  towards  her,  as 
if  to  conceal  herself  from  his  observation.  But  the 
well-known  blue  bodice,  which  displayed  the  ex- 
quisite symmetry  of  her  form  and  accorded  so  well 
with  the  clear  red  and  white  of  her  complexion, 
attracted  his  attention. 

Springing  from  his  horse,  he  was  at  her  side  in  a 
moment. 

"Fortune  has  favored  me  today,"  he  said,  taking 
her  hand  and  raising  it  to  his  lips,  as  he  seated  him- 
self on  the  turf  beside  her.  "I  have  long  looked 
for  such  an  opportunity  as  this,  in  which  I  might, 
uninterrupted,  speak  to  you  of  that  which  lies  near- 
est my  heart.  Barbara!  dearest  Barbara!  I  love 
you!" 

The  smiles  and  blushes  of  the  artless  maiden  told 
that  the  pleasure  of  the  meeting  was  mutual.  And 
as  he  poured  into  her  ear  protestations  of  passion- 
ate and  unchanging  love,  her  hand  trembled  in  his 
grasp,  and  a  feeling  of  ecstatic  joy  thrilled  the  in- 
most recesses  of  her  spirit.  For  her  whole  nature 

88 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

had  gone  out  to  him.  She  loved  him — nay,  she 
almost  adored  him  as  a  superior  being. 

It  was  rapture  to  hear  him  tell  that  he  loved  her, 
as  the  flowers  love  the  summer  rain  and  the  sun- 
shine— that  he  loved  her  as  man  never  loved  be- 
fore— that  she  was  his  light,  his  life,  his  star — that 
he  could  not  live  without  her — with  other  rhapso- 
dies, which  lovers  have  spoken  and  maidens  have 
listened  to,  since  the  beginning  of  the  world. 

His  ardent  pleadings  won  from  the  girl  an  avowal 
of  her  love;  and  the  seal  of  love  was  imprinted  on 
her  lips  by  the  impassioned  youth. 

Then,  with  his  arm  around  her,  and  her  fair  head 
resting  on  his  bosom,  he  pictured  to  her  the  beauti- 
ful, luxurious  bower  he  had  prepared  for  her, 
adorned  with  silken  hangings,  rich  tapestries,  and 
priceless  treasures  from  the  Orient — a  bower  where 
•every  delight  that  heart  could  desire  or  wealth  could 
purchase  should  be  hers.  She  should  wear  the  rich- 
-est  jewels  and  the  most  costly  attire.  She  should 
have  servants  to  do  her  slightest  bidding;  and  she 
should  see  him  ever  at  her  feet,  her  devoted  lover, 
her  slave,  her  worshiper. 

"All  that  is  most  beautiful  and  delightful  in  life 
89 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

shall  be  thine,  my  beloved!  Sweet  music  shall 
charm  thine  ears,  and  everything  that  could  give 
pain  or  discomfort  shall  be  banished  forever! 

"No  more,"  he  continued,  "shall  those  beautiful 
hands  of  thine,  fit  only  to  touch  the  lute  or  sound 
the  zithern,  to  charm  the  ear  of  him  who  loves  you 
— no  more  shall  they  handle  those  hateful  sticks  of 
willow."  He  kicked  the  bundle  of  rods  that  lay  at 
their  feet,  and  made  it  roll  down  the  bank.  "No- 
more  shall  you  engage  in  those  degrading  labors — " 

"Nay,"  interrupted  Barbara,  "toilsome  they  are, 
but  not  'degrading.'  Honest  toil  is  never  degrad- 
ing. It  is  only  evil-doing  that  is  degrading." 

A  shadow  passed  over  his  face  at  these  words. 

"Be  that  as  it  may,  there  shall  be  no  more  toil 
for  those  dear  fingers."  He  kissed  them  as  he 
spoke. 

"But  my  mother — my  sister? — " 

"Shall  also  be  freed  from  labor.  You  shall  pro- 
vide for  them,  so  that  they  shall  never  again  know 
what  poverty  means." 

"But — but  your  father,  the  Burggraf — will  he — 
does  he  approve  ?"  faltered  Barbara. 

Again  a  cloud  swept  over  her  lover's  face. 
90 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"My  father — oh,  well — in  fact,  my  father  does 
not  know  of  our  love;  and  I  wish  it  still  to  be  kept 
secret  from  him." 

"But  why?"  said  Barbara,  startled.  "I  am  sure 
my  mother  will  never  consent  to  a  secret  mar- 
riage." 

It  was  evident  that  she  had  not  understood  the 
import  of  his  words.  Such  was  the  innocence  of 
her  heart  and  the  sincerity  of  her  nature,  that  she 
could  not  conceive  of  those  burning  words  being- 
steeped  in  falsehood.  She  believed  that  he  was 
wooing  her  as  his  bride,  like  honest  Karl  with  her 
sister  Gretchen. 

But  when  at  last  the  shameful  truth  broke  in 
upon  her,  that  it  was  love  without  marriage  he  was 
offering  her,  she  felt  like  one  in  whose  path  an 
abyss  has  suddenly  opened. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  a  deep  flush  of  shame 
and  indignation  on  her  countenance,  and  cast  on 
him  a  look  in  which  horror,  anguish,  and  reproach 
were  mingled. 

Frederick  quailed  before  it. 

Then  she  turned  from  him  without  a  word. 

"Nay,  but — hear  me,  Barbara.     Listen  to  me, 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

darling  of  my  heart,"  said  he,  following  her,  and 
trying  to  take  her  hand.  "Forgive  me — pity  me, 
Barbara.  Most  gladly  would  I  wed  you,  were  I 
free  to  follow  the  dictates  of  my  heart.  But  my 
father  holds  my  fate  in  his  hands.  He  has  other 
plans  for  me — " 

"Stop !"  said  Barbara,  in  a  voice  that  startled  him, 
as,  shaking  off  his  grasp,  she  stood  up  before  him, 
rigid  as  a  statue. 

Frederick  stepped  back  in  involuntary  admira- 
tion. He  had  never  seen  her  look  so  beautiful.  It 
was  no  longer  the  gentle  Barbara  who  stood  before 
him — it  was  a  queenly  woman,  with  flushed  cheeks, 
and  eyes  flashing  with  the  fire  of  her  outraged  and 
indignant  womanhood. 

"What  do  you  take  me  for,  Herr  Schonberg?" 
she  said,  in  a  voice  trembling  with  agitation.  "How 
dare  you  offer  such  an  insult  to  the  daughter  of  my 
father — to  the  child  of  the  angel-woman  whom  I 
have  the  privilege  to  call  mother?  How  dare  you 
thus  wrong  the  heart  that  loved  you?  For  I  loved 
you,  Frederick  Schonberg.  I  loved  you  and  trusted 
you  with  my  whole  heart.  I  gave  you,  even  before 
you  asked  me  for  it,  the  pure,  virgin  love  of  an 

92 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

innocent  maiden.  For  I  thought  you  an  honorable 
man — a  knight  without  reproach;  and  your  conde- 
scension in  seeking  (as  I  thought)  to  mate  with 
me,  a  poor  girl  who  had  nothing  to  give  you  in  re- 
turn, seemed  to  me  something  kinglike — almost 
godlike.  But  now — now!  I  scorn  you!  I  despise 
you!  I  fling  your  love  in  your  face,  for  it  was 
false!  false!  false!" 

With  an  expressive  gesture,  as  if  throwing  away 
something  utterly  worthless,  she  turned  from  him, 
and  busied  herself  in  adjusting  the  cord  that  held 
her  rods  together,  which  his  savage  kick  had  dis- 
arranged. 

"Barbara!  darling!"  said  he,  following  her,  "do 
not  leave  me — do  not  scorn  me  thus;  I  love  you, 
Barbara — I  have  loved  you  from  the  first  moment  I 
saw  you — I  need  you,  dearest — I  cannot  exist  with- 
out you !"  Thus  he  went  on,  uttering  vow  on  vow, 
and  protestation  on  protestation,  with  the  most  pas- 
sionate earnestness. 

But  Barbara  answered  him  not  a  word. 

Having,  with  shaking  hands  that  could  hardly 
do  the  office,  bound  up  her  rods,  she  turned  to  him 
again,  with  a  face  now  pale  as  monumental  marble; 

93 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

and  it  was  once  more  the  mild  and  gentle  Barbara 
that  looked  from  her  eyes  as  she  spoke. 

"I  forgive  you  this  insult,  Herr  Schonberg.  And 
I  shall  pray  God  to  forgive  you  for  having  thus 
tempted  me.  But  oh!  I  beseech  you,  let  me  never, 
never — see  your  face  again." 

At  these  words,  so  calmly  yet  so  firmly  spoken, 
Frederick  uttered  a  cry  of  pain,  and  flung  himself, 
face  down,  on  the  grassy  bank  among  the  daisies — 
like  a  petted  child  balked  of  its  wish. 

Barbara  heard  that  agonized  cry,  and  glancing 
towards  him,  beheld  him  lying  prone  on  the  earth, 
his  face  buried  in  his  hands  while  heavy  sobs  con- 
vulsed his  frame. 

She  trembled. 

Her  heart  bled. 

A  thrill  of  tender  pity  for  him  penetrated  her  soul ; 
for  a  love  like  hers  cannot  be  crushed  out  all  at 
once,  even  by  the  un worthiness  of  its  object. 

She  made  one  step  towards  him. 

Then  raising  her  clasped  hands  and  her  eyes  to 
heaven  in  a  prayer  for  help,  she  caught  up  her  bun- 
dle of  osiers,  and  hastened  from  the  spot. 

Schonberg,  as  he  heard  her  depart,  raised  his 

94 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

head,  but  made  no  further  effort  to  detain  her.  He 
watched  her  until  she  disappeared  from  his  view. 

Then,  rising  hastily,  he  remounted  his  horse,  and, 
driving  his  spurs  into  the  animal's  sides,  rode  away 
at  a  furious  pace,  half  mad  with  disappointment, 
vexation,  and  love. 

The  decision  had  at  last  been  made — a  decision 
which  his  previous  training  and  the  loose  morals 
of  the  age  rendered  all  too  easy  of  adoption.  And 
did  not  his  better  nature  plead  against  the  evil 
thing  he  was  contemplating?  Yes;  but  passion 
pleaded  yet  more  urgently,  and  the  dictates  of  pas- 
sion were  stronger  than  those  of  honor. 


95 


CHAPTER  XII. 

How  Barbara  reached  her  home  that  day  she 
scarcely  knew.  Her  strength,  the  buoyant  strength. 
of  her  youth  and  perfect  health,  that  had  been  wont 
to  render  her  burden  so  light  and  her  step  so  elastic, 
seemed  all  at  once  to  have  forsaken  her. 

Faintly  and  wearily,  her  eyes  blinded  by  tears, 
she  dragged  one  foot  after  the  other,  stumbling  at 
almost  every  step. 

As  she  entered  the  cottage,  she  dropped  her  bun- 
dle of  rods  on  the  threshold,  and  sank  down  beside 
it,  limp  and  helpless. 

Her  mother  sprang  to  her. 

"My  child !  ,  My  darling !  What  has  happened  ? 
Are  you  ill?'* 

"No,  mother  dear.    Only  tired — oh,  so  tired." 

"It  is  too  far  for  you  to  carry  those  rods.  You 
must  not  go  to  the  osier  swamp  again;  or  if  you 
do,  we  must  give  a  boy  a  groschen  or  two  to  carry 
them  for  you;"  said  her  mother,  thinking  she  was 
over-fatigued  with  her  burden. 

96 


A  ROYAE  KNIGHT. 

"Yes,  mother.  It  is  too  far,"  humoring  the  idea. 
"I  shall  never  go  there  again  to  cut  osiers." 

And  that  was  all  she  said  on  the  subject.  For 
she  could  not  bring  herself  to  tell  even  her  mother 
of  Frederick's  perfidy.  She  wished  to  lock  it  in 
her  own  bosom,  to  hide  it  from  every  one,  save  God 
alone. 

But  the  mother,  with  a  mother's  intuitive  percep- 
tions, saw  that  something  painful  had  happened — 
that  some  crushing  blow  had  fallen  upon  her  child; 
and,  surmising  the  truth,  at  length  drew  the  whole 
sad  story  from  the  heart-broken  girl. 

The  widow's  indignation  knew  no  bounds.  And 
self-reproach  mingled  largely  with  her  indignation. 
She  felt  that  she  had  entertained  a  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing,  and  blamed  herself  severely,  because  she 
had  not  been  more  wary. 

"Oh,  the  villain!  The  base,  dishonorable  vil- 
lain! Was  it  for  this  that  he  sought  our  humble 
cottage,  and  spoke  so  fair,  and  seemed  so  good  and 
kind  to  all  of  us?  Who  would  have  suspected  him 
of  evil  intentions?  Oh,  my  darling!  forgive  me, 
that  I,  your  mother,  did  not  guard  you  more  care- 
fully against  this  false  traitor.  Alas !  my  pride  mis- 

97 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

led  me.  But  God  be  praised  that  my  child  had  firm- 
ness enough  and  principle  enough  to  withstand  the 
tempter's  wiles." 

With  sweet  endearments  and  pious  teachings  she 
endeavored  to  pour  the  balm  of  consolation  into 
poor  Barbara's  bleeding  wounds. 

But  what  could  restore  the  broken  idol?  What 
replace  the  lost  faith  in  the  one  she  loved?  Or 
what  console  the  heart,  forced  to  despise  where  it 
once  had  worshiped?  Nothing,  save  submission 
to  the  Divine  will. 

When  Barbara  disrobed  that  night,  the  remains 
of  the  daisy  she  had  plucked  to  pieces  and  hidden 
in  her  bosom  dropped  on  the  floor.  A  false  omen 
indeed  it  had  proved!  With  a  swelling  heart  she 
set  her  foot  on  it,  and  crushed  it  into  the  sand 
with  which  the  floor  was  strewn. 

Naturally  reticent,  Barbara  kept  her  trouble  to 
herself,  never  speaking  of  it  again,  after  the  one 
explanation  to  her  mother.  Often,  in  the  night 
time,  her  twin  sister,  who  slept  with  her,  would 
hear,  or  rather  feel,  her  half-suppressed  sobs,  and 
would  lovingly  put  her  arms  around  her,  and  whis- 
per sweet,  soothing  words  to  her;  but  Frederick's 

98 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

name  was  never  mentioned  between  them : — though 
it  was  hard  sometimes  for  impulsive  Gretchen  to 
keep  still,  so  incensed  was  she  against  her  whilom 
"splendid  cavalier,"  who  had  so  pleased  her  at  the 
civic  parade. 

No  outward  change  took  place  in  Barbara's  de- 
portment. She  retained  the  same  mild  and  gentle 
manner  by  which  she  had  always  been  distinguished, 
ever  ready  to  lighten  her  mother's  cares,  and  make 
herself  useful  in  the  household.  But  her  cheek 
grew  pale,  her  form  lost  its  roundness,  and  her 
step  became  more  languid  from  day  to  day,  as  she 
went  on  her  little  errands,  or  wandered  by  the 
brookside  gathering  osiers  (the  cottagers  who 
dwelt  near  that  low-lying  field  on  the  banks  of  the 
Pegnitz  noticed  with  surprise  that  the  pretty  bas- 
ket-maker never  came  there  any  more,  to  obtain 
osiers  for  her  work). 

The  shock  to  her  sensibilities  had  been  more  than 
she  could  bear.  Like  Shakespeare's  heroine,  she 
"pined  in  thought,"  and,  brooding  silently  on  her 
trouble,  let  it  eat  into  her  heart. 

And  in  all  probability  she  would  have  faded  away, 
or  fallen  into  a  condition  of  settled  melancholy,  had 

99 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

not  something  occurred  that  roused  her  to  action, 
and  effectually  stayed  the  advances  of  the  wasting 
heart-sickness. 


100 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

When  Jerome  saw  the  plight  to  which  his  master 
was  reduced,  after  his  interview  with  Barbara,  he 
was  more  than  ever  convinced  that  the  young  noble" 
was  bewitched,  and  that  the  Uhler  family  had  deal- 
ings with  the  Evil  One. 

"I  have  no  longer  any  doubt  of  it,"  said  he  to 
Gottlieb.  "I  am  convinced  that  either  the  old  wom- 
an or  the  young  one — or  perhaps  both — have  signed 
a  compact  with  Satan,  written  in  their  own  blood, 
with  a  quill  drawn  from  a  raven's  wing,  by  which 
they  have  obtained  the  power  to  exercise  a  super- 
natural influence  on  others.  It  is  impossible  in  any 
other  way  to  account  for  the  condition  into  which 
my  poor  master  has  fallen.  Sometimes  he  raves 
and  rages  like  a  madman.  At  other  times  he  is 
sunk  in  gloom.  There  seems  to  have  been  a  lovers' 
quarrel  between  him  and  the  girl.  She  refuses  to 
see  him.  And  he  is  downright  ill  about  it.  Either 
they  have  given  him  a  love-philter,  or  perhaps  they 
have  his  image  in  wax  laid  before  the  fire,  that  as 

101 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

it  slowly  melts,  so  he  may  languish  and  gradually 
pine  away.  For  I  know  by  the  way  his  clothes 
hang  on  him,  that  he  is  falling  away  in  flesh." 

"  'Tis  a  pity.  He  was  a  goodly  young  gentle- 
man," said  Gottlieb,  sympathetically. 

"I  tell  you,  Gottlieb,  that  great  black  cat  is  not 
there  for  nothing.  That  he  is  the  old  woman's 
'familiar'  I  have  no  doubt.  I  seem  to  feel  his  claws 
in  my  flesh,  and  to  see  his  great  green  eyes,  and 
his  huge  tail  as  thick  as  my  arm,  and  to  hear  his 
horrid  yell  as  he  rushed  past  me,  and — vanished! 
Ugh!" 

"If  the  woman  is  a  witch,  her  case  ought  to  be 
attended  to,"  said  Gottlieb,  sententiously.  "There  is 
no  telling  what  harm  she  may  do  to  others  besides 
your  master." 


102 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

At  the  sign  of  the  Bratwurstglocklein,  a  long, 
low-ceiled  but  spacious  wine-room,  or  tavern,  a  mot- 
ley company  was  gathered. 

The  place,  as  its  name  implies,  was  famous  for 
the  excellence  of  its  fried  sausages. 

It  was  frequented  by  some  of  the  first  people  of 
the  city.  Poets  and  painters,  men  of  letters  and 
men  of  art,  as  well  as  those  of  a  lower  grade,  met 
there,  in  social  converse.  There,  perhaps,  Peter 
Visscher  and  his  five  gifted  sons  may  have  sat,  and 
discussed  the  details  of  that  wonderful  shrine  of 
St.  Sebaldus,  on  which  they  labored  for  thirteen 
years ;  and  Adam  Krafft,  the  sculptor,  as  he  munched 
the  savory  sausage  and  drank  the  cup  of  mead, 
may  have  received  fresh  inspiration  for  the  tracery 
of  that  marvelous  stone  tabernacle  in  St.  Lawrence's 
Church,  which  some  one  has  called  a  piece  of  lace- 
work  in  stone. 

The  Nurembergers  were  a  sociable  people,  and 
their  houses  being  for  the  most  part  small,  the 

103 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

family  and  social  gatherings  of  all  ranks  were  held 
in  the  wine-rooms,  or  other  places  of  entertain- 
ment. 

At  intervals  on  the  sanded  floor  were  placed  little 
tables,  garnished  with  tankards  of  wine,  ale,  or 
mead,  around  which  gathered  small  coteries  of  con- 
genial friends,  to  discuss  the  news  of  the  day,  inter- 
change opinions  of  things  in  general,  and  partake 
of  the  toothsome  sausage  for  which  the  house  was 
famed.  Ever  and  anon,  the  little  bell  (glocklein) 
would  sound,  to  signify  that  more  refreshment, 
either  solid  or  liquid,  was  needed.  The  tapsters 
flitted  from  table  to  table  with  the  brimming  tank- 
ards. The  vintner  himself  from  time  to  time  stepped 
in,  to  see  that  his  guests  were  well  attended  to ;  and 
the  cook  heaped  relays  of  sausages  on  his  brasier. 

At  one  table,  on  the  present  occasion,  sat  Albert 
Diirer,  Germany's  greatest  painter,  whose  home  was 
in  Nuremberg.  Here,  with  his  friend,  Willibald 
Pirckheimer,  and  other  distinguished  painters  and 
engravers,  he  talked  of  art,  its  charms,  its  develop- 
ments, its  possibilities.  That  Diirer  was  fond  of 
social  pleasures,  and  was  even  "full  of  fun,"  is 
learned  from  his  correspondence  with  Pirckheimer 

104 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

and  others.  This  relaxation  was  no  doubt  neces- 
sary to  relieve  the  tremendous  tension  of  such  con- 
ceptions as  his  "Melancholia,"  his  "Death  on  the 
Pale  Horse,"  and  other  masterpieces,  which  must 
have  taxed  his  powers  to  the  uttermost. 

In  strong  contrast  to  this  refined  and  intellectual 
group,  at  another  table  a  company  of  rough-coated 
farmers  and  drovers  discussed  crops  and  cattle. 

At  another  table,  old  white-haired  Leonhard 
Nonnenbeck,  the  weaver,  leader  of  the  Meister- 
singers,  sat  amid  a  bevy  of  his  pupils.  Hans  Sachs, 
the  cobbler-poet,  was  not  there,  he  having  gone  off 
on  one  of  his  periodical  foot- journeys,  with  his 
shoemaker's  kit  on  his  back,  and  the  songs  that  de- 
lighted his  countrymen  in  his  heart  and  on  his 
lips. 

At  still  another  table,  placed  somewhat  apart  from 
the  others,  were  seated  Jerome,  his  friend  Gottlieb, 
and  half  a  dozen  other  men  of  similar  rank  in  life. 
They  talked  in  low  tones,  yet  loud  enough  to  be 
overheard  by  the  other  guests. 

From  time  to  time  the  huge  tankard — a  tall  ves- 
sel of  brown  pottery,  with  a  hunting  scene  depicted 
in  bas-relief  on  its  sides,  the  handle  formed  of  the 

105 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

body  of  a  hound  stretched  to  the  utmost  as  if  at 
full  speed — passed  from  hand  to  hand  around  the 
table,  each  man  taking  a  deep  draught  from  it,  and 
setting  it  down  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction,  as  he 
wiped  the  foam  from  his  lips.  And  the  oftener  it 
passed,  the  tongues  wagged  the  more  freely. 

Jerome  was  the  chief  speaker,  and  his  subject 
was — -witchcraft. 

"Do  you  know,  neighbors,"  said  Gottlieb,  "that 
another  witch  has  been  discovered?" 

A  thrill  of  horror  and  disgust  passed  around. 

"Where?    Where?"  cried  several  voices. 

"In  the  lane  called  the  Kleine  Strasse.  Jerome 
knows  all  about  it.  Tell  them  the  story  of  the  black 
cat,  Jerome." 

Jerome,  nothing  loth,  immediately  launched  out 
in  a  highly  embellished  account  of  his  adventure 
with  the  Widow  Uhler's  cat. 

"I  had  gone  to  the  house  on  a  little  errand  for 
my  master.  I  had  been  there  before,  and  had  seen 
the  cat  many  times — a  great,  monstrous,  black  beast, 
without  a  hair  of  white  upon  him.  He  had  never 
troubled  me  before.  But  this  time,  as  he  lay 
sprawled  out  on  the  floor,  I  happened  to  set  my 

1 06 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

foot  on  "the  end  of  his  tail.  And  Lord!  you  ought 
to  have  heard  the  yell  he  gave,  as  he  twisted  his 
body  up — for  my  foot  was  still  on  his  tail — and 
spat  at  me,  and  clawed  at  me,  as  if  he  would  tear 
the  skin  from  my  foot  and  leg.  But,  luckily,  my 
shoe,  having  been  lately  cobbled  by  the  rhymester,, 
Sachs,  withstood  his  efforts.  Then  he  pulled  his 
tail  from  under  my  foot,  and  as  his  fur  brushed 
across  my  woolen  hose,  sparks  of  fire  flew  out  of 
it  with  a  crackling  noise,  and  away  he  flew,  swift 
as  a  flash  of  lightning,  his  tail  as  thick  as  my  arml 
And  when  I  hurried  to  the  door  to  see  what  had 
become  of  him,  he  had  vanished — he  was  nowhere !" 

His  hearers  listened  with  open  mouths  and  star- 
ing eyes.  Some  uttered  exclamations  of  horror, 
and  crossed  themselves;  while  others  breathed  the 
specific  prayer  which  was  Luther's  safeguard  against 
the  attacks  of  the  devil:  "Gott  sei  bei  uns!"  (God 
be  with  us!),  which,  by  the  way,  is  a  good  prayer 
at  all  times. 

"There,  now,"  said  Hugo,  the  blacksmith,  "I 
knew  I  should  hear  some  ill  news  today;  for  when 
I  went  out  in  the  morning,  the  first  thing,  a  mag- 
pie flew  across  my  path.  And  that  is  a  bad  omen." 

107 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  another, "  'tis  an  ill-omened  bird, 
the  magpie." 

"But  this  witch  that  I  speak  of,"  said  Jerome, 
"has  a  bird  that  beats  your  magpie  all  hollow.  It 
is  nothing  but  a  bullfinch;  but  by  the  shrine  of 
Saint  Sebaldus!  it  can  whistle  and  sing  just  like  a 
human  being.  Such  is  the  power  the  witch  exer- 
cises." 

"That  is  nothing,"  said  an  intelligent-looking 
young  man  in  the  dress  of  a  student,  who  had  not 
yet  spoken.  "I  had  a  starling  once,  that  learned  to 
pronounce  my  name — Otto  Wenzel — as  plainly  as 
I  say  it  now." 

"But  that  is  very  different  from  singing  songs 
and  roundelays,  as  this  bird  does." 

"  'Tis  astonishing,"  said  an  old  sailor  from  Genoa, 
who  had  come  to  Nuremberg  to  dispose  of  some 
rich  Oriental  cloths  which  he  had  brought  from 
India.  "  'Tis  astonishing  what  power  those  witches 
attain  by  their  compact  with  the  devil.  They  have 
been  known  to  raise  a  great  storm  at  sea,  just  by 
whipping  a  bucket  of  water  with  a  switch !  And,  by 
the  way,  I  am  told  that  a  man,  a  countryman  of 

1 08 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

my  own,  one  Columbus,  has  lately  sailed  across  the 
unknown  seas,  and  discovered  a  new  world! — 
Doubtless  by  the  wonderful  power  of  witchcraft!" 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  witches,"  remarked  another 
of  the  company;  "no,  nor  of  magpies,  neither;  for 
I  wear  a  talisman  constantly  around  my  neck." 

"So  do  I,"  said  another.  "I  have  the  word 
'Abracadabra?  written  in  a  triangle,  and  folded  in 
the  form  of  a  cross.  This  not  only  keeps  away 
witches,  but  cures  the  ague,  if  you  wear  it  nine 
days  in  your  bosom,  and  then  throw  it  backward 
before  sunrise  into  a  stream  running  eastward.  And 
besides  all  that,  every  egg  I  eat  I  crush  the  shell  of 
it  in  my  hand,  lest  the  witches  should  use  it  as  a 
boat." 

"I,"  said  Otto  Wenzel,  "possess  an  amulet — a 
real  abraxas  stone  from  Egypt,  beautifully  carved 
with  the  form  of  a  man  and  the  head  of  a  bird, 
which  my  mother  insists  on  my  wearing.  But  I 
confess  I  have  not  much  faith  in  it.  I  keep  it  as  a 
curiosity." 

"I  have  a  horse-shoe  nailed  to  the  lintel  of  my 
door,"  said  Hugo,  the  blacksmith,  "and  a  plant  o£ 

109 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

St.  John's-wort    growing   at   the   very    door-step. 
You  know  the  old  rhyme — 

"  Trefoil,  vervain,  John's-wort,  dill, 
Hinder  witches  of  their  will.' 

And  if  those  things  won't  keep  witches  away,  I 
know  not  what  would." 

"I  had  rather,"  said  another,  "have  the  trefoil 
than  the  John's-wort;  for  the  trefoil  is  the  emblem 
of  the  Trinity.  And  every  one  knows  that  no  witch 
•can  pronounce  the  name  of  God,  or  say  the  Pater 
Noster,  unless  she  says  it  backward." 

"I  am  glad,"  remarked  another  of  the  worship- 
ful company,  "that  I  and  my  family  dwell  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Pegnitz  from  the  Kleine  Strasse, 
for,  as  you  all  know,  no  witch  can  cross  a  running 
stream." 

"No,"  said  Otto,  banteringly,  "but  she  can  mount 
in  the  air  on  a  broomstick,  and  fly  over  it.  So  you 
see,  you  are  no  better  off  than  the  rest  of  us." 

"But  there  is  another  thing,  besides  the  cat  and 
the -bird,"  said  Jerome,  returning  to  his  text,  "about 
that  Uhler  woman;  and  that  is,  the  extraordinary 
resemblance  between  the  two  daughters." 

no 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  have  seen  them,"  eagerly  interrupted  Hugo. 

"Though  I  have  seen  them  many  times,  I  can 
scarcely  tell  the  one  from  the  other  yet.  That,  too, 
I  doubt  not,  is  the  work  of  the  Evil  One,"  said 
Jerome. 

"That  is  common  enough  in  the  case  of  twins," 
said  the  skeptical  Otto.  "I  also  have  seen  those 
twin  sisters.  Beautiful  maidens  they  are!  I  am 
loth  to  believe  them  the  children  of  the  Evil  One. 
To  me,  they  seem  rather  like  the  handiwork  of 
heaven." 

"Do  you  not  know  that  Satan  sometimes  appears 
as  an  angel  of  light,  as  the  priests  tell  us  ?  And  tEat 
it  was  in  the  shape  of  a  beautiful  woman  that  he 
tempted  the  good  Saint  Anthony,  when  everything 
else  had  failed?"  said  one. 

"That  is  common  enough,  too,"  replied  the  young 
man,  with  a  laugh.  "If  you  have  no  better  proofs 
to  bring  forward,  you  have  no  right  to  call  this 
gentlewoman  a  witch!" 

"But  I  can  give  you  a  proof,"  said  the  big,  burly 
blacksmith,  roughly.  "When  my  neighbor,  old 
Andreas,  went  to  milk  his  cow  this  morning,  the 
never  a  drop  of  milk  would  the  beast  let  down  into 

in 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  pail.  I  thought  it  was  because  his  young  gal- 
lows-bird of  a  boy  had  raced  the  cow  all  the  way 
from  the  pasture  to  his  door-yard;  but  now  I  know 
the  true  reason — the  cow  was  bewitched." 

"And  did  not  the  steeple  of  St.  Joseph's  church 
fall  down  the  other  night  in  the  storm?  What  bet- 
ter proof  could  you  have  that  there  were  witches 
abroad?  One  thing  is  certain,  that  this  matter  will 
have  to  be  attended  to.  Witches  are  a  most  dan- 
gerous class.  The  last  visitation  of  the  plague  that 
we  had  was  undoubtedly  caused  by  the  witches." 

"Or  by  the  filthy  condition  of  the  streets  and 
alleys,  the  ill-ventilated  houses,  and  the  lack  of  sani- 
tary care,"  said  Otto  Wenzel. 

"Not  so — not  so.  For  after  a  few  hundred 
witches  had  been  burned  at  the  stake,  the  plague 
ceased,  and  has  not  visited  us  since." 

"Perhaps  the  lighting  of  so  many  funeral  pyres 
had  the  effect  of  purifying  the  air,"  persisted  Otto, 
to  the  great  displeasure  of  his  companions,  who 
thought  him  little  better  than  a  heretic. 


112 


CHAPTER  XV. 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on — each  man 
giving  some  detail  of  witchcraft  calculated  to  make 
the  flesh  creep  and  the  hair  stand  on  end,  until  it 
became  necessary  to  order  another  tankard  of  Ein- 
beker  beer  to  brace  them  up — Frederick  Schonberg 
entered  the  room.  He  took  a  seat  at  the  table 
where  Nonnenbeck  and  his  pupils  sat.  He  did  not 
call  for  wine,  neither  did  he  take  any  part  in  the 
conversation,  but  sat  silent  and  gloomy,  staring 
straight  before  him. 

His  face  was  pale,  his  long  hair,  which  it  was 
the  fashion  to  wear  in  flowing  locks  on  the  shoul- 
ders, hung  uncurled,  and  his  attire,  though  as  rich 
and  costly  as  usual,  lacked  the  almost  finical  neat- 
ness it  was  wont  to  display. 

As  Jerome  sat  with  his  back  to  that  part  of  the 
room,  he  was  not  aware  that  his  master  had  entered ; 
otherwise  he  would  scarcely  have  spoken  as  he  had 
done. 

Frederick  was,   as  Jerome  had  told  his   friend 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

and  confidant  Gottlieb,  a  changed  man.  Not  only 
had  his  plans  been  thwarted  by  the  obstinate  virtue 
of  the  girl — his  vanity  had  been  wounded,  his  self- 
love  assailed.  His  love  had  been  transformed,  not 
indeed  to  hatred,  but  to  a  fierce  anger.  The  thought 
that  he,  Frederick  Schonberg,  son  of  the  chief 
magistrate  of  Nuremberg — he, 

"The  glass  of  fashion  and  the  mould  of  form, 
The  observed  of  all  observers," 

should  have  been  treated  so  contemptuously — was 
gall  and  wormwood  to  him.  He  wanted  to  be  re- 
venged on  Barbara  for  the  bitter  words  she  had 
spoken. 

And  yet,  such  are  the  contradictions  of  human 
passion,  he  loved  her  more  madly  than  ever,  and 
was  resolved  to  win  her  yet. 

For  a  few  weeks  after  that  stormy  parting,  he 
had  shut  himself  in  his  rooms,  refusing  all  society. 

To  make  any  attempt  to  see  her  at  the  present 
juncture,  he  knew  would  be  useless. 

But  other  means  might  be  found,  he  thought,  to 
reach  her. 

One  day,  in  hopes  to  divert  himself,  and  make 

114 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

him  forget  his  trouble,  he  went  out  on  the  rivet 
with  Jerome,  his  crossbow  in  his  hands. 

Having  shot  a  brace  of  wild  duck,  he  sent  them, 
with  his  compliments,  to  Dame  Uhler,  by  way  of 
peace-offering. 

But  alas!  when  Jerome  returned,  he  not  only 
brought  back  the  ducks,  but  with  them  another  and 
larger  package. 

In  this  package  was  the  lute,  with  all  the  other 
gifts  he  had  bestowed  on  Barbara. 

She  had  gathered  them  all  together — a  ruby  ring, 
a  necklace  of  fragrant  amber  beads  with  golden 
clasp,  a  scarf  of  costly  Flemish  lace,  a  gold  chain 
and  locket,  the  last  containing  a  miniature  of  him- 
self, painted  on  vellum — gifts  which  it  had  been 
his  delight  to  bestow  and  hers  to  receive. 

She  had  kept  nothing,  except  a  withered  rosebud, 
which  he  had  dropped  on  the  floor  on  his  first  fate- 
ful visit,  and  she  had  picked  up  after  his  departure. 
"Poor  faded  thing !"  thought  she.  "It  is  an  emblem 
of  myself."  And  she  put  it  back  into  its  secret 
hiding-place. 

"Did  you  see  her,  Jerome?"  he  asked,  eagerly, 
when  the  lackey  returned.  "Did  you  see  Barbara?" 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"No,  your  honor.  Only  the  mother,  who  stood 
in  the  doorway,  as  stiff  as  a  grenadier,  and  handed 
me  the  package,  saying  that  neither  she  nor  her 
daughter  wished  to  have  any  further  communica- 
tion with  the  Herr  von  Schonberg." 

On  this  Frederick  flew  in  a  rage,  and  hurled  im- 
precations on  the  head  of  the  beautiful  girl  who  had 
enthralled  him. 

"Curse  her  beauty!  She  has  ruined  my  life! 
Would  to  God  I  had  never  seen  her!" 

Snatching  up  the  lute,  and  taking,  or  rather  tear- 
ing, it  from  its  case,  he  struck  a  few  discordant 
notes  on  its  strings;  then  tossed  it  from  him. 

"Take  it  away,  Jerome!  Burn  it!  Throw  it  out 
on  the  street!  Let  me  never  set  eyes  on  it  again!" 

Jerome  took  up  the  lute  and  removed  it  from  the 
room.  But  he  did  not  burn  it.  He  carried  it  to  a 
Jew  friend  of  his  in  the  city,  to  whom  he  disposed 
of  it  for  a  considerable  sum.  For  it  was  a  fine  in- 
strument— too  good  to  burn  or  throw  away. 

It  was  while  still  chafing  under  the  humiliation 
pf  having  his  overtures  refused  and  his  gifts  re- 
turned, that  Frederick  strayed  into  the  Bratwurst- 

116 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

glocklein,  and  casually  overheard  the  conversation 
of  Jerome  and  his  boon  companions. 

As  he  listened  to  their  superstitious  gabble,  a 
thought  entered  his  disturbed  and  ill-regulated  mind 
— a  thought  that  surely  must  have  been  suggested 
by  the  very  evil  spirit  of  whom  the  men  were  talk- 
ing. He  would  attack  Barbara  through  her  mother. 
Knowing  with  what  devoted  affection  the  girl  re- 
garded her  mother,  he  resolved  to  touch  her  in  her 
tenderest  part. 

He  would  go  before  the  council,  and  secretly 
accuse  the  Widow  Uhler  of  having  practiced  the 
arts  of  witchcraft  on  himself  and  others. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined,  however,  that  he  intended 
any  serious  harm  to  the  amiable  woman  whose  hos- 
pitality he  had  so  often  enjoyed,  and  whom  he  had 
learned  to  regard  with  almost  filial  affection.  His 
design  was — a  sufficiently  base  one — to  frighten 
Barbara  into  submission,  and  then  withdraw  the 
charge. 

His  plan  was  the  more  easy  to  put  in  execution, 
owing  to  the  temporary  absence  of  his  father,  who 
had  gone  to  make  his  long-deferred  visit  to  his 
friend  the  Baron  von  Eisenfeld,  at  his  castle  among 

117 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  mountains,  leaving  his  civic  duties  in  the  hands 
of  his  deputy,  Herr  Doppenheim.  Frederick  re- 
joiced in  his  absence,  for  he  feared  that,  like  the 
spear  of  Ithuriel,  the  keen  perceptions  of  his  pure- 
minded  and  honorable  father  would  detect  the  false- 
ness of  his  charge,  and  the  baseness  of  his  intent. 

By  the  time  his  father  returned,  he  hoped  the 
affair  would  be  over — the  widow  released  from 
prison  and  saved  by  his  withdrawal  of  the  accusa- 
tion— and  Barbara,  subdued,  conquered,  and  grate- 
ful to  him  for  his  supposed  rescue  of  her  mother, 
would  no  longer  refuse  to  share  the  luxurious  re- 
treat he  had  prepared  for  her. 


118 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  rumor  spread  like  wildfire  through  the  city, 
that  a  witch  had  been  found  within  its  bounds,  and 
every  bosom  burned  with  abhorrence  and  indigna- 
tion. Whispers — suspicions — had  already  begun  to 
circulate,  springing,  no  doubt,  from  the  idle  gossip 
of  Jerome  and  his  compeers  of  the  wine-room; 
which  gossip  had  been  retailed  by  them  at  their 
several  places  of  abode,  with  many  additions  and 
exaggerations.  Added  to  this  was  the  ever-present 
dread  and  horror  of  sorcery,  which  pervaded  all 
ranks  of  people,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  It 
needs  but  a  spark  to  kindle  a  flame,  when  everything 
is  laid  in  readiness  for  it. 

Before  the  court,  which  was  somewhat  slow  and 
deliberate  in  its  movements,  had  had  time  to  exe- 
cute the  necessary  process  of  law,  a  great  crowd 
of  people,  of  all  ranks  and  conditions,  thronged 
the  little  street  in  which  stood  the  widow's  cot- 
tage. 

While  these  rumors  had  been  passing  from  mouth 
119 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

to  mouth,  and  penetrating  every  part  of  the  city,  the 
household  in  the  cottage  had  pursued  its  wonted 
vocations,  all  unconscious  of  what  was  impending 
over  it.  True,  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen 
one  of  its  members  had  cast  a  gloom  over  all.  But 
daily  sustenance  required  daily  toil;  and  though  the 
heart  ached  and  the  eyes  longed  for  an  idle  hour  in 
which  to  weep,  the  busy  fingers  must  still  keep  up 
their  task.  The  poor  have  no  time  in  which  to  in- 
dulge in  what  might  be  termed  the  luxury  of  sor- 
row. 

Gretchen  had  gone  to  the  warehouse  to  deliver 
some  of  the  smooth,  even  skeins  of  yarn  that  her 
employer  esteemed  so  highly,  and  obtain  a  fresh 
supply  of  wool. 

Barbara,  pale  and  silent,  with  drooping  head  and 
heavy  eyes,  sat  on  her  little  bench,  mechanically 
weaving  and  twisting  the  pliant  osiers,  while  her 
thoughts  were  far  distant.  The  mother  was  pa- 
tiently knitting  on  a  pair  of  coarse  fisherman's 
hose,  and  glancing  from  time  to  time  on  her  stricken 
child  with  tender  pity. 

On  a  sudden,  the  door  flew  open,  and  Gretchen, 
flushed,  excited,  and  out  of  breath,  burst  into  the 

1 20 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

room.  She  carried  a  parcel  in  her  hands,  in  addi- 
tion to  her  bundle  of  wool. 

"What  is  the  matter,  my  child?" 

"I  do  not  know,  mother.  The  streets  are  full  of 
people — men  crowding  each  other — talking  in 
groups — yelling,  shouting — and  some  of  them 
looked  at  me  so  strangely,  and  even  spoke  rudely  to 
me.  One  insolent  fellow  stared  right  in  my  face 
and  said,  'Ha!  you  are  one  of  the  witch's  spawn!' 
What  could  he  mean?  I  was  so  frightened,  I  ran 
nearly  all  the  way." 

"Why  did  not  Karl  come  with  you?" 

"He  was  not  at  home.  But  oh,  mother — oh,  Bar- 
bara," with  a  complete  change  of  manner — "only 
see  what  a  beautiful  present  dear  Mamma  Steiner 
has  given  me.  A  web  of  linen  for  my  house-keep- 
ing !  Enough  to  make  half  a  dozen  sheets !  all  spun 
and  woven  with  her  own  hands,  and  bleached  to 
snowy  whiteness  on  the  green  grass  and  the  pretty 
white  daisies!  Oh,  how  good  she  is!  And  how 
dearly  I  love  her !" 

"That  is  indeed  a  valuable  present,"  said  her 
mother,  unrolling  a  portion  of  the  piece  of  linen, 
and  scanning  it  with  the  eye  of  a  connoisseur.  For 

121 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

once  on  a  time  her  own  presses  and  wardrobes  had 
overflowed  with  just  such  treasures. 

"I  must  now,"  said  Gretchen,  "work  with  re- 
doubled diligence,  that  I  may  finish  my  daily  stint 
of  yarn,  and  yet  find  time  to  sew  the  long  seams 
together,  and  to  hem  the  ends  with  the  smallest 
and  neatest  of  stitches  that  it  is  possible  to  take. 
Oh,  how  happy  I  am!" 

But  here  a  loud,  tumultuous  noise — a  noise  like 
the  distant  sound  of  the  sea — was  heard  outside; 
and  on  looking  forth  they  beheld  a  great  multitude 
of  people  surging  into  the  little  street;  yelling  and 
gesticulating,  jostling  each  other,  and  crowding 
closely  around  the  cottage. 

Cries  and  execrations  filled  the  air,  and  the  im- 
mediate seizure  of  the  witch  was  demanded. 

Gretchen  had  closed  and  bolted  the  lower  half  of 
the  door  when  she  entered.  Trembling  with  fear, 
she  now  tried  to  shut  the  upper  half,  but  was  pre- 
vented by  a  man  who  placed  his  brawny  arms  on 
the  closed  half-door,  and  thrusting  in  his  head, 
stared  impudently  into  the  room. 

"Here  she  is!"  he  shouted  to  his  companions. 
"Here  is  the  witch !  and  by  St.  Lawrence !  with  the 

122 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

great  black  cat,  her  familiar,  seated  in  her  lap!" 

For  Schwarz,  terrified  by  the  noise  and  tumult, 
had  jumped  on  his  mistress*  lap  for  safety. 

The  girls  ran  to  their  mother  and  threw  their 
arms  around  her.  But  the  widow,  though  equally 
alarmed,  said  calmly  to  the  rude  intruder,  who  was 
shaking  the  door  viciously,  and  trying  to  force  it 
open: 

"Who  are  you,  rude  man?  and  what  do  you 
want  here?" 

"We  want  you,  old  witch!  and  we  mean  to  have 
you,  too,"  said  the  man,  with  a  loud,  horse-laugh, 
in  which  his  companions  joined. 

Again  he  tried  to  burst  open  the  door.  But  the 
sturdy  oak  and  well-tempered  iron  resisted,  until 
three  or  four  men — headed  by  the  big,  burly  black- 
smith, Hugo,  in  leathern  apron,  and  with  great, 
knotty  arms  bared  to  the  shoulder — fell  upon  the 
door  at  once,  and  forced  it  open. 

"Ho !  servant  of  Satan !  we  have  found  you  out !" 
cried  Hugo,  as  he  seized  the  astonished  and  terrified 
woman,  and  despite  the  shrieks  and  struggles  of 
herself  and  her  daughters,  dragged  her  into  the 
street. 

123 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Her  appearance  was  greeted  with  a  shout  that 
threatened  to  make  the  old  houses  topple  down  head- 
long; while  ribald  jests  and  vociferous  laughter 
echoed  on  every  side. 

"Swim  her!   Swim  her!"  cried  one. 

"Burn  her!   Hang  her!"  shouted  others. 

"Prick  her !  Prick  her  with  pins !"  yelled  another, 
tearing  the  fair  white  linen  handkerchief  from  her 
shoulders.  "Let  us  find  the  devil's  mark!" 

A  difference  of  opinion  having  arisen  as  to  the 
best  mode  of  treating  her,  the  crowd  came  near 
fighting  about  it;  but  those  who  had  hold  of  her 
being  in  favor  of  "swimming  her" — that  is,  sub- 
jecting her  to  the  ordeal  by  water,  in  which,  if  the 
victim  floated,  she  was  adjudged  guilty,  if  she  sank 
she  was  innocent,  but  of  course  perished — she  was 
dragged  with  some  difficulty  to  the  river. 

Here,  more  dead  than  alive,  she  was  laid  on  the 
ground,  her  thumbs  and  great  toes  tied  together, 
and  her  apparel  carefully  searched  for  pins,  the  be- 
lief being  held  that  the  presence  of  a  single  pin 
destroyed  the  efficacy  of  the  ordeal. 

But  when  they  were  about  to  throw  her  into  the 
water,  their  purpose  was  hindered  by  her  daugh- 

124 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ters,  who  clung  frantically  to  her,  twining  their 
arms  about  her,  while  the  agonizing  cries  they  ut- 
tered would  have  moved  a  heart  of  stone.  Nothing 
could  induce  them  to  relax  their  hold;  and  at  last 
a  brutal  fellow,  exasperated  by  their  resistance, 
seized  a  hatchet,  and  threatened  to  cut  off  their 
hands  unless  they  let  go. 

"No,  no!"  cried  another  in  the  crowd.  "Better 
duck  them  all  together!" 

This  inhuman  proposal  was  received  with  shouts 
of  merriment,  and  was  about  to  be  carried  out, 
when  an  officer,  sent  by  the  city  authorities,  with 
a  posse  of  constables,  arrived  on  the  scene,  and  res- 
cuing the  widow  and  her  daughters  from  the  ex- 
cited populace,  marched  them  off  to  the  town  hall, 
followed  and  escorted  by  the  yelling  and  hooting 
multitude. 

They  had  not  gone  far,  when  suddenly  there 
burst  through  the  crowd,  cleaving  his  way  with 
strong  arm  and  determined  will,  a  young  man  in 
the  dress  of  a  well-to-do  citizen,  who  caught  the 
weeping  Gretchen  in  his  arms,  and  despite  the  ef- 
forts of  the  guards,  bore  her  off  in  triumph. 

As  he  dashed  through  the  mob  with  the  speed 

125 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  a  hunted  deer,  a  few  gave  chase,  but  the  greater 
part  held  back,  having  a  strong  conviction  that  the 
rescuer  was  the  Foul  Fiend  himself,  come  to  aid 
his  servants  in  this  strait. 

But  it  was  none  other  than  true-hearted  Karl 
Steiner,  who,  learning  that  his  betrothed  was  in  a 
situation  of  danger  and  distress,  paused  not  to  ask 
the  reason  why,  but  rushed  like  a  true  knight  to 
her  rescue. 


126 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Barbara  and  her  mother  were  taken  before  the 
magistrates,  and  a  formal  charge  of  sorcery  and 
witchcraft  preferred  against  the  latter. 

The  chief  magistrate,  father  of  Frederick  Schon- 
berg,  being  absent,  as  has  been  mentioned,  his  place 
was  filled  by  a  consequential  little  man,  his  deputy. 
This  person  closely  questioned  the  reputed  witch 
concerning  her  dealings  with  the  "Arch  Enemy." 

"Brunhilda  Uhler,"  said  he,  "you  are  accused 
of  having  entered  into  a  compact  with  Satan,  for 
the  purpose  of  working  evil  to  your  fellow-citizens ; 
of  keeping  certain  imps  of  Satan  in  your  dwelling 
as  familiars;  of  flying  through  the  air  on  a  broom- 
stick, to  join  in  the  horrid  orgies  of  the  Witches' 
Sabbath;  of  placing  waxen  images  of  those  whom 
you  wish  to  injure  before  the  fire,  to  melt  gradually 
away,  that  thus  they  may  pine  and  die ;  with  many 
other  wicked  and  dangerous  acts,  which  it  boots 
not  to  rehearse.  Do  you  confess  the  truth  of  those 
accusations?" 

127 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  do  not.  I  am  innocent,"  replied  Dame  Uhler, 
in  a  firm  voice;  for  she  had  recovered  her  com- 
posure. Her  calm  demeanor  presented  a  marked 
contrast  to  the  fierce  excitement  depicted  in  the 
faces  of  those  around  her.  For,  even  in  those  try- 
ing circumstances,  her  trust  in  the  God  whom  she 
had  loved  and  served  all  her  life,  and  to  whom  she 
had  given  the  keeping  of  her  soul,  was  unshaken. 

"Do  you  confess  to  having  in  your  possession  a 
red  chair,  the  counterpart  of  'The  Red  Chair'  in 
which,  we  are  assured,  the  devil's  mother  sits,  as 
she  superintends  the  cookery  of  hell's  kitchen  ?*  Do 
you  confess  to  having  also  in  your  house  a  table 
curiously  inlaid  with  dead  men's  bones  ?  They  have 
been  sent  for,  and  will  soon  be  produced  here." 

"I  repeat  it.  I  am  innocent.  I  know  not  who 
has  brought  this  cruel  charge  against  me;  for  to 
my  knowledge  I  have  never  injured  any  one.  I  am 
a  Christian  woman,  and  my  soul  abhors  the  horrible 
crime  with  which  I  am  charged." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  little  deputy.  "So  they  all 
say.  But  the  torture  makes  them  tell  a  different 
tale." 

*Heine. 

128 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Here  there  was  a  commotion  at  the  door;  and 
the  proceedings  were  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of 
some  constables,  with  the  widow's  carved  chair,  its 
cushions  hanging  in  tatters,  and  the  inlaid  table. 
Another  man  carried  an  armful  of  parchments. 

"Please  your  worships,  we  found  these  here  writ- 
ings concealed  in  the  cushions  of  the  chair,  and  we 
brought  them  along  with  us." 

"Doubtless  they  are  cabalistic  writings,  connect- 
ed with  the  woman's  hellish  employments,"  said 
the  little  deputy.  "Let  Johannes  Edler,  the  town 
clerk,  examine  them,  and  inform  us  of  their  na- 
ture." 

Johannes  Edler  stepped  forward,  and  taking  off 
the  velvet  cap  which  was  by  the  stringent  sumptu- 
ary laws  restricted  to  nobles,  knights,  and  official 
persons,  adjusted  his  spectacles  on  his  nose,  and 
proceeded,  with  his  usual  deliberation,  to  examine 
the  manuscripts. 

These  are  no  cabalistic  writings,"  said  he.  "They 
are  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  good  Ger- 
man text.  They  appear  to  be  Hussite  manu- 
scripts— " 

129 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Hussite!"  exclaimed  the  little  deputy.  "Worse 
and  worse!  Woman,  are  you  a  Hussite?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  widow,  firmly,  "I  am  a  Hussite, 
and  I  glory  in  the  name.  I  need  no  priest,  nor 
saint,  nor  Virgin,  to  present  my  prayers  to  the  Al- 
mighty; for  I  know  that  I  can  come  boldly  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of 
need." 

"Hark  to  that!  hark  to  that!"  cried  the  little 
deputy,  excitedly.  "Here  is  an  avowed  heretic,  as 
well  as  a  witch!  Away  with  her  to  the  stake!" 

But  his  colleagues  demurred  to  this  summary 
proceeding,  and  a  consultation  ensued. 

As  Barbara  turned  her  terrified  gaze  around  the 
hall,  she  espied  a  man  muffled  in  a  cloak,  seated 
near  the  judges. 

It  was  Frederick  Schonberg. 

Forgetting  everything  except  her  mother's  dan- 
ger, she  made  her  way  to  him,  and,  falling  at  his 
feet,  cried  in  piteous  accents : 

"Herr  Schonberg!  save  my  mother!  Oh,  if  it  is 
in  your  power,  save  my  mother!" 

"He?"  said  one  of  the  magistrates.  "Why,  he 
is  her  principal  accuser." 

130 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Frederick  raised  her  up  tenderly,  and  drew  her 
aside. 

"Yes,  Barbara,  it  is  in  my  power,  and  I  will  most 
gladly  do  it.  But — on  one  condition." 

Barbara  looked  into  his  face,  and  comprehending 
his  meaning,  a  flush  of  shame  and  indignation  suf- 
fused her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  flashed  fire. 

"No!"  she  said;  "no!  Death  rather  than  dis- 
honor." 

"Think  before  you  decide,  Barbara.  Remember 
your  mother's  life  hangs  on  your  answer." 

"I  have  decided.     I  have  answered." 

"Then  see  your  mother  perish  miserably,"  cried 
Frederick,  enraged.  "Her  blood  be  on  your  head. 
You  might  have  saved  her,  and  you  would  not." 

For  an  instant  Barbara  hesitated.  But  it  was 
only  for  an  instant. 

A  sudden  light  irradiated  her  countenance;  and 
turning  to  the  magistrates,  she  knelt  before  them. 

"Oh,  sirs — noble  sirs — hear  me!  My  mother  is 
innocent.  This  man — this  cruel,  cruel  Frederick 
Schonberg — has  accused  her  falsely.  Let  her  go 
free,  and  let  me  take  her  place.  If  any  witchcraft 
has  been  practiced,  it  is  I  who  have  practiced 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

it.  Lead  me  to  death,  for  I  have  lived  too  long!" 
"Hey!  what!"  exclaimed  the  little  deputy.  "Do 
you  confess  it,  mistress?  Do  you  plead  guilty  to 
the  charges  herein  specified,  namely,"  reading  from 
a  paper,  "that  you  by  your  arts  caused  the  steeple 
of  St.  Joseph's  church  to  fall  down,  injuring  many 
people;  that  you  inflicted  various  aches  and  pains 
upon  sundry  persons  herein  mentioned,  and  pinched 
them  black  and  blue;  that  you  did  ride  through  the 
air  on  a  broomstick,  in  company  with  the  prince 
of  darkness,  and  other  witches  as  wicked  as  your- 
self; that  you  entertain  an  evil  spirit  in  the  shape 
of  a  black  cat,  which  several  persons  depose  to  hav- 
ing seen  reposing  on  the  best  chair  in  your  dwell- 
ing, to  wit,  the  red  chair  now  present  before  us; 
that  your  ordinary  food  is  the  flesh  of  unchris- 
tened  babes ;  and  that  you  possess  a  table  whose  sur- 
face is  inlaid  with  their  bones — also  here  present? 
Do  you  plead  guilty  to  all  these  things,  mistress, 
with  many  more  that  might  be  enumerated  ?" 

"No.  I  will  not  stain  my  soul  with  falsehood.  I 
plead  guilty  to  nothing;  but  I  am  ready  to  die  in 
place  of  my  mother." 

"That  will  not  do.     You  must  not  only  confess 
132 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

these  charges,  but  also  reveal  who  are  your  accom- 
plices and  associates  in  diabolical  arts.  Officers! 
take  this  young  woman  to  the  torture-chamber." 

Frederick  Schonberg  started  to  his  feet. 

"Hold!"  he  exclaimed.  "This  shall  not  be !  This 
maiden  shall  not  be  tortured !  Let  her  be  remanded 
to  prison  until  my  father's  return." 

"And  who  are  you,  Herr  Frederick  Schonberg," 
said  the  little  deputy,  with  astonishment  and  indig- 
nation, "that  you  dare  to  interfere  between  the 
magistrates  of  Nuremberg  and  the  execution  of  the 
laws?"  Nothing  could  exceed  the  pomposity  with 
which  the  little  man  uttered  the  words  "the  magis- 
trates of  Nuremberg."  Though  he  used  the  plural, 
it  was  evident  that  he  only  meant — himself. 

"But  I  see — I  see,"  he  continued,  with  a  knowing 
look;  "you  are  a  young  man,  Herr  Frederick,  and 
you  are  touched  by  the  beauty  of  this  youthful  serv- 
ant of  Satan.  But  the  magistrates  of  Nuremberg 
are  insensible  to  the  charms  of  beauty.  Justice — 
inflexible  justice — is  their  motto." 

"Curse  her  beauty !"  muttered  Frederick,  between 
his  teeth.  But  he  made  another  effort  to  save  her. 

133 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  demand,  in  the  name  of  my  father,  that  this  case 
be  postponed  until  his  return." 

"So  far  from  waiting  for  the  return  of  your  hon- 
ored father,"  continued  the  deputy,  "I  consider  it  a 
fortunate  circumstance  that  he  is  absent  at  this  time, 
and  myself — my  humble  self — occupying  his  place. 
For  our  worthy  Burggraf,  although  a  man  in  every 
way  to  be  honored,  and  one  whom  I  regard  with 
the  most  profound  esteem,  is  yet  a  man  of  a  soft- 
hearted and  humane  disposition,  who  instinctively 
shrinks  from  putting  women  and  children  to  the 
torture.  It  is  a  weakness  with  him.  He  cannot 
help  it.  And  I  tremble  to  think  that,  had  he  occu- 
pied this  bench,  those  abandoned  wretches  might 
have  escaped  the  full  penalty  of  the  law.  But  the 
magistrates  of  Nuremberg,  here  present,  are  made 
of  sterner  stuff.  Officers !  let  the  old  witch  be  taken 
to  prison  until  a  further  hearing,  and  the  young 
one  stretched  on  the  rack!" 

During  this  speech,  a  terrible  conflict  was  going 
on  in  the  mind  of  Frederick.  Should  he  withdraw 
his  charge  without  having  accomplished  his  pur- 
pose? or  should  he  suffer  the  proud  maiden  to  pay 
the  penalty  of  her  scorn  ?  Love  and  pity  urged  him 

134 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

to  the  former  course.  But  pride  kept  him  silent. 
His  fiery  spirit  disdained  to  yield  to  one  who  would 
yield  nothing  to  him. 

Yet  he  would  make  one  more  effort 

At  the  magistrate's  last  words  he  again  ap- 
proached her.  "Yield,  Barbara — yield,"  he  whis- 
pered, entreatingly. 

"I  will  not  yield.  I  scorn  you — I  defy  you! — 
Leave  me  to  my  fate !" 

Frederick,  his  heart  torn  with  conflicting  emo- 
tions, pulled  his  hat  over  his  brows  and  rushed  from 
the  hall,  as  the  hardened  executors  of  the  law  rude- 
ly laid  hold  of  the  heroic  maiden. 


135 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Meantime,  where  was  Gretchen?  Safe  under  the 
roof  of  her  prospective  father-in-law,  Ludwig 
Steiner,  whither  the  faithful  Karl  had  borne  her 
when  he  snatched  her  from  the  officers  of  the  court ; 
and  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  kind  mother  of  her 
betrothed,  and  his  sister  Wilhelmina,  a  girl  about 
her  own  age. 

But  though  safe  herself,  the  fate  of  her  mother 
and  sister  awakened  her  deepest  solicitude  and 
alarm. 

"Oh,  my  poor  mother ! — my  darling  sister !  What 
will  become  of  them?" 

She  wept  and  mourned  incessantly,  and  refused 
to  be  comforted.  When  tidings  reached  her  of 
what  had  occurred  in  the  court-room,  her  distress 
was  greater  still.  The  prison — the  stake — the  rack 
— were  ever  before  her. 

Hoping  to  divert  her  mind,  Karl  went  to  the 
cottage  to  see  if  her  little  bird  were  still  alive;  but 
found  nothing  there  but  desolation.  The  door  was 

136 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

off  the  hinges ;  the  floor,  ordinarily  so  spotless,  was 
trampled  with  mud  and  filth ;  the  cat  and  bird  were 
gone,  as  were  also  the  great  chair  and  table;  the 
shelves  on  which  the  housekeeping  articles  had  been 
ranged  were  thrown  down,  the  pewter  plates  and 
cups  marred  and  twisted,  the  wooden  ones  broken. 

Among  the  debris  he  found,  soiled  and  trampled 
into  the  earth,  a  long  twisted  and  contorted  rope 
of  something,  it  was  hard  to  say  what;  but  which 
on  examination  proved  to  be  Gretchen's  beautiful 
web  of  linen,  over  which  she  had  felt  so  proud  and 
so  happy  only  a  few  moments  before  the  catastrophe 
had  occurred  that  plunged  them  all  into  so  great 
misery.  The  poor  girl  wept  afresh  when  she  saw 
its  condition.  But  Mamma  Steiner  comforted  her 
with  the  assurance  that,  thanks  to  the  excellent  qual- 
ity of  the  linen,  the  texture  was  not  at  all  injured, 
and  that  an  application  of  soap  and  water,  with 
plenty  of  "elbow  grease,"  and  subsequent  bleaching 
in  the  sun  and  air,  would  restore  it  to  its  pristine 
beauty. 

Karl  could  almost  have  wept  himself,  to  see  the 
condition  of  the  once  happy  little  dwelling.  He  re- 
turned home  more  grieved  and  depressed  than  be- 

137 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

fore,  having  first  secured  the  door  as  well  as  he 
could,  to  prevent  further  destruction  and  ruin. 

Scarcely  had  he  re-entered  his  father's  house 
when  there  came  a  loud  knocking  at  the  door. 

On  opening  it,  Karl  perceived  a  young  man  in 
the  garb  of  a  student. 

"Does  Ludwig  Steiner  the  wool  merchant  dwell 
here  ?"  said  the  stranger. 

"He  does." 

"And  does  not — that  is — is  there  not  one  of  the 
twin  sisters  Uhler  in  the  house — the  daughters  of 
the  unhappy  woman  who  has  just  been  dragged  to 
the  court-house  on  a  charge  of  witchcraft,  after 
being  misused  by  an  infuriated  mob?" 

In  terror  lest  some  new  trouble  were  about  to  fall 
on  his  betrothed,  Karl  hesitated  to  answer. 

"You  need  not  be  afraid,"  said  the  other  with  a 
smile,  observing  his  hesitation.  "I  come  on  a  friend- 
ly errand.  Half  an  hour  ago,  in  passing  the  cot- 
tage where  the  Uhler  family  dwelt,  I  heard  a  bird- 
like  voice  whistling  a  well-known  tune.  Seeing  the 
door  broken  down,  and  hanging  by  one  hinge,  I 
entered  and  found  a  little  bird  in  a  cage,  singing 
with  all  its  might.  I  marvel  that  the  ruffians  had 

138 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

not  killed  it;  but  I  suppose  they  were  afraid,  be- 
lieving in  their  superstition  that  it  was  possessed 
of  an  evil  spirit,  like  the  famous  nightingale  that 
bewitched  the  good  fathers  and  bishops  at  the  Coun- 
cil of  Basel.*  But  there  it  was;  and  having  heard 
of  your  gallant  rescue  of  one  of  the  unfortunate 
women,  I  have  brought  it  here,  that  I  might  restore 
it  to  her." 

He  drew  from  under  his  cloak  a  wicker  cage,  in 
which  sat  Vogel,  frightened  and  silent,  but  un- 
harmed. 

Karl  was  profuse  in  his  thanks,  in  which  Gretch- 
en,  who  had  also  come  to  the  door,  heartily  joined. 

The  young  man  was  invited  to  enter,  but  de- 
clined. 

"But  may  we  not  know,"  said  Karl,  "to  whom 
my  betrothed  is  indebted  for  the  return  of  her  pet 
bird?" 

"My  name  is  Otto  Wenzel.  I  am  a  student  at 
the  University.  And  I  hope  to  see  the  day  when 
such  scenes  as  we  have  this  day  witnessed  shall  be 
unknown  in  this  city." 

"Then  you  do  not  believe  that  my  dear  mother 

*Heine. 

139 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

is — oh,    horrid    word! — a    witch?"  said    Gretchen. 

"No,  I  do  not  believe  in  witchery  at  all — except 
of  one  kind,"  said  the  young  man,  with  an  admiring 
glance  at  Gretchen;  and,  touching  his  student  cap 
of  dark  woolen  cloth,  he  passed  on. 

And  Gretchen,  as  she  tended  and  fed  her  bird, 
and  cooed  and  prattled  to  it,  was  really  somewhat 
relieved  from  the  pressure  of  her  grief  and  anxiety. 

Far  different  from  the  fate  of  Vogel  had  been 
that  of  Schwarz,  the  black  cat. 

When  the  mob  broke  into  the  cottage  an  adven- 
turous boy  had  attempted  to  capture  the  cat;  but 
the  animal  leapt  from  his  arms,  inflicting  several 
deep  scratches  on  his  hands  with  its  formidable 
hind-claws,  and,  scrambling  up  a  tree,  placed  itself 
in  the  crotch  of  the  branches  and  glared  defiance  at 
the  howling  mob  of  men  and  boys  beneath. 

A  man  in  the  crowd,  a  Tyrolese,  in  a  gay  jacket 
adorned  with  silver  buttons,  pointed  an  arquebus 
at  the  cat. 

"It's  no  use!  you  can't  kill  it!"  criea  several 
voices.  "  Tis  an  evil  spirit !  Nothing  short  of  a 
silver  bullet  or  an  elf-arrow  will  kill  a  witch  or  her 
familiars." 

140 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Ja  wohl"  said  the  Tyrolese,  "a  silver  bullet  he 
shall  have." 

Seizing  a  knife,  he  cut  off  a  button  from  his  jack- 
et, and  charged  the  arquebus  with  it ;  and  a  moment 
after  poor  Schwarz  tumbled  to  the  ground  with 
the  improvised  silver  bullet  in  his  heart. 


141 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Frederick  Schonberg  sat  in  his  chamber,  gloomy, 
unhappy,  disconsolate.  Remorse,  like  the  vulture 
of  Prometheus,  was  gnawing  at  his  vitals.  The 
thought  of  Barbara — his  Barbara — suffering  on  that 
fearful  engine,  drove  him  wild. 

At  times  he  paced  his  room  like  a  caged  animal, 
wringing  his  hands  and  saying  to  himself : 

"What  have  I  done?  My  God!  what  have  I 
done?" 

Blinded  by  passion,  it  was  not  till  now  that  he 
fully  realized  the  enormity  of  which  he  had  been 
guilty. 

"Oh,  that  my  father  were  at  home!  One  can  do 
nothing  with  that  fool  of  a  man,"  meaning  the  con- 
sequential deputy.  "When  my  father  returns  I 
shall  confess  the  whole  to  him,  and  I  think — I  feel 
sure — he  will  be  able  to  save  that  good  woman 
from  the  stake.  But  meantime  Barbara  must  under- 
go her  martyrdom.  O  Barbara !  dear,  foolish,  head- 
strong, noble,  brave  Barbara! — Oh,  to  think  of 

142 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

those  tender  limbs  wrenched  and  torn  by  torture — 
and  /  the  cause !  Ah !  how  can  I  bear  it  ?  How  can 
I  endure  these  pangs  of  self-reproach?" 

In  his  despair  and  misery  his  life  seemed  no 
longer  of  any  value  to  him.  He  longed  to  die ;  and 
having  learned  that  the  armies  of  the  empire  were 
still  fighting  on  the  Danube  against  the  restless  and 
ever-encroaching  Turks,  he  almost  resolved  to  re- 
sign his  command  at  home  and  apply  to  the  Em- 
peror for  the  leadership  of  some  "forlorn  hope," 
that  he  might  throw  himself  with  it  into  "the  im- 
minent deadly  breach"  and  be  slain.  But  he  did  not 
act  on  this  suggestion.  For  he  could  not  tear  him- 
self away  from  the  place  where  Barbara  dwelt,  even 
though  in  durance. 

Night  found  Barbara  Uhler  in  a  prison  cell,  one 
of  those  horrible  dungeons  under  the  Rathhaus  of 
Nuremberg. 

By  a  refinement  in  cruelty,  the  mother  and  daugh- 
ter were  placed  in  separate  cells,  that  neither  might 
minister  to  the  other  in  the  sweet  tender  offices  of 
affection. 

Barbara  lay  on  a  miserable  pallet  of  straw,  every 
bone  and  joint  in  her  body  throbbing  with  pain. 

143 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

By  the  side  of  her  couch  stood  a  bench,  on  which 
were  a  mug  of  water  and  a  piece  of  bread.  But 
though  her  thirst  was  great,  her  arm  had  scarcely 
strength  to  raise  the  grateful  beverage  to  her  lips, 
so  enfeebled  was  she  by  the  suffering  to  which  she 
had  been  subjected. 

But  it  was  not  in  her  frame  alone  that  she  suf- 
fered. 

Sad  were  her  thoughts  when  left  alone,  after  she 
recovered  from  the  swoon  that  had  mercifully  re- 
lieved her  from  the  rack.  She  knew  that  as  soon 
as  her  strength  returned  she  would  be  again  sub- 
jected to  that  or  some  other  form  of  torture,  and 
that  a  fearful  death  by  burning  or  strangulation 
awaited  her  at  the  end;  and  she  prayed  long  and 
earnestly  for  strength  to  bear  whatever  might  be 
inflicted  on  her.  She  felt  very  thankful  that  the 
court  had  accepted  her  in  place  of  her  mother;  and 
also  that  her  dear  sister  Gretchen  was  safe,  as  she 
rightly  judged,  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the 
Steiners. 

Still  she  was  very  sorrowful;  for  the  image  of 
Frederick  Schonberg,  as  the  tempter,  the  persecu- 

144 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

tor,  the  cruel  instigator  of  all  these  evils,  was  ever 
before  her. 

Exhaustion,  however,  after  a  time  overcame  both 
physical  pain  and  mental  affliction. 

She  sank  into  a  deep  sleep.  From  this  she  was 
awakened  about  midnight,  by  some  one  softly  kiss- 
ing her  cheek. 

On  looking  up,  she  beheld  by  the  light  of  a  small 
lamp,  a  female  form  seated  on  the  couch  beside  her, 
and  bending  over  her. 

"My  sister!"  exclaimed  Barbara;  and  in  an  in- 
stant the  twin  sisters  were  locked  in  each  other's 
arms,  and  weeping  on  each  other's  bossom. 

When  they  became  somewhat  composed,  Barbara 
asked  her  sister  how  she  had  gained  admittance. 

"Karl  bribed  the  jailer,  and  with  much  reluctance 
he  admitted  me." 

"But  why — oh,  why — are  you  here,  my  sister? 
If  you  are  discovered  you  will  be  taken  and  tor- 
tured as  I  have  been." 

"It  was  for  that  I  came,"  said  Gretchen,  hastily, 
seeing  the  other  was  about  to  interrupt  her.  "And 
now  hear  my  project.  Those  poor  limbs  of  yours 
have  been  cruelly  tortured,  and  I  have  heard  that  in 

145 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

a  few  days  the  infliction  is  to  be  repeated.  But 
that  poor  suffering  frame  of  yours  can  bear  no  more. 
I  have  therefore  come,  dearest,  to  take  your  place 
and  let  you  escape." 

"Nay,"  began  Barbara;  but  her  sister  silenced 
her. 

"Hear  me  out,  dear.  Nobly,  as  I  have  heard, 
did  you  offer  your  life  for  our  dear  mother's,  and 
gallantly  did  you  bear  the  sufferings  that  were  in- 
flicted on  you.  But,  believe  me,  were  you  tortured 
again,  weak  as  you  are,  exhausted  nature  would 
give  way,  and  who  can  tell  what  exquisite  pain  might 
wring  from  you  ?  Now  you  know  how  strong  is  the 
resemblance  between  us  two — our  persecutors  will 
undoubtedly  mistake  me  for  you — and  if  I  endure 
the  pains  as  resolutely  as  you  have  done  (and  I 
trust  I  shall)  it  will  be  supposed  that  you  have  gone 
through  the  two  ordeals  victoriously,  and  their 
minds  will  be  convinced  of  your  truth  and  our 
mother's  innocence;  and  she  will  be  set  at  liberty, 
and  we  shall  all  return  to  our  happy  home  again." 
And  the  sanguine  girl  clapped  her  hands  at  the 
thought. 

"Ah,  no,  my  sister,  no.  It  cannot  be.  You  know 
146 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

not  what  you  say.  You  cannot  conceive  the  pain 
— the — the  agony — O,  no,  beloved  Gretchen;  those 
tender  limbs  of  thine  must  never  be  stretched  upon 
the  rack." 

"Are  my  limbs  more  tender  than  yours?  Are 
they  not  fresh,  and  strong,  and  free  from  pain,  and 
better  able  to  endure?" 

"Gretchen,"  said  Barbara,  "it  is  useless  to  talk 
thus.  Return  as  you  came,  and  leave  me — leave 
me  to  my  fate.  Fear  not  for  me.  If  I  die  upon  the 
rack,  I  shall  not  accuse  my  mother,  nor  perjure 
myself.  Fly! — you  have  ties  to  bind  you  to  life 
which  I  have  not.  Think  of  Karl." 

"I  do — I  do!"  cried  the  poor  girl.  "Oh,  Bar- 
bara, he  is  the  truest  friend !  He  bore  me  home  to 
his  father's  house  when  he  snatched  me  from  your 
side,  and  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  soothe  my 
sorrow.  When  I  told  him  I  must  see  you,  he 
brought  me  hither,  and  largely  bribed  the  jailer  to 
admit  me.  He  now  waits  to  convey  you  to  his 
father's  house.  Now  go,  sister,  go.  Here,  take 
my  cloak  and  hood." 

"And  does  he,"  said  her  sister,  suddenly,  "does 

147 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Karl  Steiner  consent  to  this  exchange?  He  loves 
you  not  as  I  would  have  him  love  you." 

"Barbara,"  said  Gretchen,  with  a  look  of  an- 
guish, "say  not  a  word  against  Karl.  He  does  not 
know  of  my  design.  He  would  never  have  con- 
sented— never.  Do  you  know  he  had  not  heard  of 
our  misfortune  until  a  few  moments  before  he  bore 
me  away  from  the  armed  men.  He  and  his  sister 
Wilhelmina  were  just  going  to  set  out  for  Wiirz- 
burg,  where  the  Emperor  now  is — " 

"Is  he — is  the  Emperor  at  Wiirzburg?"  inquired 
Barbara,  eagerly. 

"Yes.  He  is  there  on  a  visit  to  the  Prince- 
Bishop  of  Wiirzburg.  There  are  great  doings  being 
held  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  and  it  was  to  see  them 
that  Karl  and  Wilhelmina  were  going." 

"When  did  you  say  they  designed  to  torture  me 
again?"  asked  Barbara,  abruptly. 

"Three  days  hence,  if  your  strength  permitted." 

"Three  days  hence,"  repeated  the  other,  as  if 
thinking  aloud.  "Gretchen !  I  consent  to  this  ex- 
change! Give  me  your  hood  and  cloak." 

With  an  energy  that  surprised  her  sister,  she 
arose  from  the  pallet  of  straw  on  which  she  had 

148 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

been  seated,  and  putting  on  the  hood  and  cloak 
with  her  sister's  assistance,  adjusted  them  so  as  to 
shroud  her  face  and  form.  Then  sitting  down  again 
she  put  her  arms  around  Gretchen  and  kissed  her 
tenderly. 

"Sister !"  she  said,  "there  is  hope." 

"God  grant  it!"  ejaculated  Gretchen,  wondering 
what  had  come  to  her  sister. 

"Yes !  In  His  name  I  tell  you  there  is  hope.  In 
His  name  I  bid  you  be  of  good  heart.  You  shall 
not  be  tortured,  my  poor  Gretchen.  Neither,  I 
trust,  shall  our  mother  be  slain.  At  all  events,  you 
shall  not  be  tortured,  for  I  shall  be  back,  God  will- 
ing, in  time  to  prevent  it.  It  is  only  in  this  con- 
viction that  I  consent  to  leave  you.  I  am  going  to 
ask  my  mother's  life  of  the  Emperor !  I  know  that 
he  is  the  very  soul  of  truth  and  honor  and  clem- 
ency. I  know  that  none  ever  applied  to  him  for 
justice  and  was  refused.  And  I  feel  sure  that  one 
so  noble  and  magnanimous  will  not  suffer  this  cruel 
wrong  to  be  done." 

A  noise  was  heard  on  the  outside  of  the  cell,  and 
the  clanking  of  iron  and  drawing  of  bolts  announced 
the  approach  of  the  jailer. 

149 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Gretchen  burst  into  tears.  Her  courage  was  fail- 
ing her. 

Barbara  murmured  words  of  hope  and  encourage- 
ment, and  again  embraced  her. 

Gretchen  then  flung  herself  on  the  pallet  and 
buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"Come,  mistress,"  said  the  jailer.  "  Tis  time 
to  go." 

Barbara  drew  the  hood  and  cloak  more  closely 
around  her,  and  followed  him  to  the  outside  of  the 
prison  without  his  suspecting  who  she  was. 

Karl,  she  well  knew,  would  not  be  so  easily  de- 
ceived; but  the  darkness  favored  her,  and  her  sobs 
prevented  the  necessity  of  talking. 

He  noticed  that  she  walked  feebly,  and  leaned 
heavily  on  him  for  support,  but  he  attributed  these 
symptoms  to  the  violence  of  her  emotions. 

Never  doubting  that  his  companion  was  Gretchen, 
he  took  her  to  his  father's  house,  where  a  fire  and 
lamp  were  still  burning. 

Here  Barbara  threw  off  her  cloak,  and  gazing 
steadily  in  his  face,  said: 

"Karl  Steiner!  look  at  me!" 

"Barbara!"  exclaimed  he,  starting  back  aghast. 

150 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"And    where  —  my    God!    where   is    Gretchen?" 

"Gretchen  is  in  the  prison.  Stay!"  as  he  seized 
his  cap  and  was  about  to  rush  from  the  room. 
"Hear  me  for  a  moment." 

She  then  told  him  of  the  generous  exchange  that 
had  been  effected  by  her  sister,  to  which  he  listened 
with  a  countenance  expressive  of  the  most  poignant 
anguish.  "But  think  not,"  continued  she,  "that  I 
would  have  consented  to  this  exchange  had  it  not 
been  for  a  design  which  I  intend  to  put  in  execution, 
and  which  will  require  your  help,  dear  Karl.  I  have 
heard  that  our  dear  lord  the  Emperor  is  at  Wiirz- 
burg,  and  I  purpose  to  go  there,  seek  an  audience 
of  him,  and  never  leave  his  feet  until  I  have  ob- 
tained my  mother's  liberation.  For  I  was  told  by 
— by — one  who  knew  him  well  that  none  ever  ap- 
pealed to  him  for  justice,  and  appealed  in  vain." 

"But  Gretchen — my  Gretchen,"  said  Karl.  "In 
the  meantime  her  tender  frame  will  be  shattered  by 
those  dreadful  engines — " 

"No,  Karl.  If  you  will  assist  me,  I  shall  be  back 
in  time  to  take  her  place  again.  Wurzburg  is  but 
ten  miles  from  Nuremberg.*  A  fleet  horse  could 

*The  German  mile  contains  four  English  miles. 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

travel  thither  and  back  in  two  days — and  if  we  set 
out  immediately  I  shall  be  in  the  prison  by  the  time 
at  which  they  were  to — " 

"I  tell  you  it  is  quite  impossible.  Think  how 
feeble  you  are — your  strength,  nay,  your  very  life 
would  fail  before  you  had  gone  half  way.  And 
Gretchen — my  own,  my  generous  Gretchen — I  can- 
not go  and  leave  her  to  such  a  doubtful  chance. 
Indeed,  Barbara,  I  cannot  go  with  you." 

"Then  I  shall  go  alone!"  exclaimed  Barbara.  "I 
have  heard  the  tale  of  Gertrude  von  der  Wart,  who 
rose  from  a  sickbed,  enfeebled  as  she  was  by  a 
fever,  and  traveled  for  three  days  on  foot  and  with- 
out sustenance,  that  she  might  soothe  the  last  mo- 
ments of  her  husband,  broken  on  the  wheel  for  the 
crime  of  treason.  The  God  who  strengthened  her 
will  also  strengthen  me.  I  shall  go  alone,  and  on 
foot!" 

"No,  my  noble  sister,"  cried  the  true-hearted 
Karl,  his  plain  features  (for  Karl  was  not  hand- 
some) glowing  with  generous  feeling.  "You  shall 
not  go  alone — I  will  go  with  you.  I  will  leave  my 
Gretchen  in  the  keeping  of  God,  and  go  with  you, 
to  aid  and  protect  you." 

152 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

He  then  roused  his  sister  Wilhelmina,  and  in- 
formed her  of  the  matter  in  hand.  She  arose  hastily, 
and  calling  a  servant,  ordered  a  comfortable  meal 
to  be  prepared  for  the  travelers. 

Then,  with  kind,  womanly  solicitude,  she  has- 
tened to  minister  to  the  forlorn  and  unexpected 
guest.  Having  bathed  Barbara's  hands  and  face, 
and  applied  some  soothing  liniment  to  such  parts 
of  her  suffering  body  as  seemed  to  ache  the  most, 
and  arranged  her  beautiful  hair  in  smooth  coils 
about  her  head,  Wilhelmina  brought  a  complete 
suit  of  her  own  apparel  to  replace  the  soiled  and 
disordered  prison  garments. 

"How  can  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  thought- 
fulness,  dear  Wilhelmina?"  said  Barbara.  "I  was 
so  excited  and  eager,  I  never  thought  about  my 
clothes;  and  a  pretty  figure  I  should  have  made  to 
appear  before  the  Emoeror  in  those  wretched  rags !" 


153 


CHAPTER  XX. 

By  this  time  day  was  breaking;  and  at  the  doot 
stood  a  stout  horse,  saddled  and  furnished  with  a 
pillion.  For  as  there  was  neither  coach  nor  car- 
riage road,  all  journeying  of  any  extent  had  to  be 
performed  on  horseback. 

Little  conversation  passed  between  the  travelers 
as  they  jogged  along,  but  the  thoughts  of  each  were" 
busy  enough. 

Karl  sympathized  with  Barbara  in  her  brave  ef- 
fort, yet  his  thoughts  would  ever  and  anon  revert 
to  the  dear  one  who  lay,  self-imprisoned,  in  the 
gloomy  dungeon  at  Nuremberg. 

Barbara's  thoughts  dwelt  chiefly  on  the  personage 
whom  she  was  going  to  see,  and  the  hopes  she  had 
built  on  him.  In  her  conversations  with  Frederick 
she  had  heard  much  of  the  Emperor;  for  Frederick 
was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Maximilian.  She 
knew  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  and  noblest  sov- 
ereigns that  the  house  of  Hapsburg  had  produced, 
brave  in  war  and  wise  in  council,  a  man  of  fine  phy- 

154 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

sique  and  varied  accomplishments,  distinguished  by 
a  kingly  presence,  a  chivalrous  disposition,  a  genial 
manner,  and  a  generous  heart. 

But  most  of  all  did  she  recall  the  comforting" 
fact  that  his  leading  characteristics  were  his  love 
of  justice  and  his  unalterable  determination  that 
the  rights  of  all  in  his  dominions,  even  the  lowliest, 
should  be  respected. 

"He  will  surely  hear  me,"  she  thought.  "He  will 
surely  grant  to  me  my  mother's  life.  He  is  too- 
just  and  noble  to  let  the  innocent  suffer." 

About  noon  they  stopped  at  a  wayside  inn,  where 
they  obtained  some  food  and  a  draught  of  mead. 
And  there,  while  their  horse  fed  and  rested,  Karl' 
made  Barbara  lie  down  on  a  settle  in  the  public 
room — a  comfortable  couch  with  a  drapery  of  large- 
flowered  printed  linen;  and  that  she  might  not  take 
cold,  the  kind-hearted,  motherly  landlady  brought 
forth  an  eider-down  quilt  of  similar  material,  on1 
which  were  portrayed  peacocks,  golden  pheasants, 
singing-birds,  roses,  lilies,  and  peonies,  all  as  large' 
as  life. 

"The  poor  maiden  is  sick,"  said  she,  compassion- 

155 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ately,  "or  just  recovering  from  sickness.  She  does 
not  seem  in  fit  condition  to  travel." 

"You  are  right,  my  good  woman.  But  the  case 
was  urgent,  and  the  journey  could  not  be  post- 
poned." 

"God  will  sustain  me,"  murmured  Barbara. 

Although  the  distance  to  be  traveled  was  but 
forty  miles,  and  they  met  with  no  unnecessary  de- 
lays, evening  had  begun  to  fall  when  they  reached 
Wiirzburg,  the  capital  of  the  sovereign  bishopric 
of  that  name.  As  they  rode  along  the  principal 
street  many  objects  of  interest  presented  themselves 
which  at  another  time  might  have  claimed  their  at- 
tention. To  Karl  especially,  as  a  singer,  the  cathe- 
dral would  have  been  the  point  of  attraction,  for 
there,  he  knew,  lay  the  remains  of  Walther  von  der 
Vogelweide,  the  chief  of  the  Minnesingers — he  who 
left  a  legacy  to  the  birds,  because,  he  said,  they  had 
taught  him  to  sing. 

But  on  the  present  occasion  each  had  but  one 
thought — Barbara,  to  see  the  Emperor — and  Karl, 
to  reach  their  journey's  end  before  his  companion 
broke  down.  But  she  stood  the  journey  better  than 
could  have  been  expected.  She  seemed  to  be  en- 

156 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

dowed  with  supernatural  strength;  for  her  nerves 
were  so  highly  strung  and  her  mind  so  excited, 
that  neither  the  fatigue  of  her  long  ride,  nor  the 
pain  of  her  hurts  appeared  to  have  any  effect  on 
her. 

As  soon  as  Karl  and  Barbara  arrived  in  the  city 
they  hastened,  after  putting  up  their  horse  at  an  inn, 
to  the  Episcopal  palace,  around  which,  as  the  tem- 
porary abode  of  the  Emperor,  a  great  degree  of  ex- 
citement prevailed. 

There  was  to  be  a  grand  masquerade  in  the  even- 
ing, in  honor  of  the  monarch,  and  great  was  the 
bustle  and  many  the  preparations  observable  on. 
every  side. 

Soldiers  stood  on  guard  around  the  palace. 
Troops  of  servants  thronged  the  entrance  hall,  or 
loitered  about  the  courtyard,  or  hurried  to  and  fro 
on  errands. 

Karl  inquired  of  one  of  the  lackeys  whether  he 
and  his  companion  could  see  the  Emperor. 

The  man  eyed  the  travel-stained  couple  from  head 
to  foot,  and  laughed  derisively. 

"No,  certainly  not.    It  is  impossible." 

157 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Can  we  see  his  grace,  the  Prince-Bishop,  then  ?" 
said  Karl. 

"Equally  impossible.  The  Lord  Bishop  is  not  in 
the  palace." 

Expostulation  and  entreaty  were  alike  in  vain. 
Even  the  "golden  key,"  which  Karl  produced,  was 
unavailing.  The  saucy  lackeys  treated  him  and  his 
companion  with  supercilious  haughtiness  and  con- 
tempt, and  finally  drove  them  from  the  gates,  while 
the  soldiers  regarded  them  with  suspicious  looks. 

Barbara's  heart  sank  as  Karl  led  her  into  the 
street,  and  her  feeble  limbs  were  scarcely  able  to 
support  her.  But  her  faithful  friend  endeavored  to 
cheer  and  comfort  her  with  words  of  hope. 

"Be  not  discouraged,  dear  Barbara.  I  shall  now 
take  you  back  to  the  inn  where  you  may  lie  down  and 
rest  awhile;  and  I  shall  return  to  the  charge,  and 
never  desist  until  I  obtain  permission  for  you  to  see 
the  emperor." 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  depart,  a  splendidly 
caparisoned  horse  on  which  was  seated  a  man  of 
noble  presence,  in  raiment  half  secular,  half  religious, 
stopped  at  the  entrance  of  the  palace.  A  mitre  lined 
with  ermine  graced  the  rider's  head,  and  a  mantle 

158 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  purple  velvet  embroidered  with  gold  hung  from 
his  shoulders. 

He  was  accompanied  by  a  body-guard  in  magnifi- 
•cent  uniforms. 

It  was  the  Prince-Bishop  of  Wurzburg  himself. 

Half  a  dozen  obsequious  lackeys  immediately  sur- 
rounded him,  and  assisted  him  to  dismount. 

This  was  the  critical  moment  of  Barbara's  fate. 

She  sprang  forward,  and  falling  on  her  knees, 
caught  the  hem  of  the  Bishop's  robe  as  he  placed 
his  foot  upon  the  palace  steps. 

"Hear  me !  my  Lord  Bishop !  hear  me !"  she  cried, 
in  tones  of  entreaty. 

The  Bishop  of  Wurzburg  was  a  just  and  benev- 
olent prince.  He  had  the  interests  of  his  people 
thoroughly  at  heart,  and  no  suppliant,  however  hum- 
ble, could  apply  to  him  without  obtaining  a  hearing. 

Sternly  rebuking  the  officious  servitors  who  were 
about  to  drag  Barbara  away,  he  raised  her  from  the 
ground,  and  kindly  inquired  what  she  wanted. 

"Oh,  my  lord !  I  am  a  poor  maiden  of  Nuremberg 
— my  mother  has  been  falsely  accused  of  sorcery  and 
witchcraft,  and  thrown  into  prison,  and  threatened 
with  torture  and  death — " 

159 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"But  I  have  no  authority  in  Nuremberg,  my  girl. 
My  power  extends  not  beyond  my  own  bishopric  of 
Wiirzburg." 

"No,  my  lord.  But  I  have  come  hither  to  seek  an 
audience  of  our  most  gracious  lord  the  Emperor,  that 
I  may  beg  my  mother's  life  from  him.  Oh,  my  lord 
Bishop!  I  beseech  you — I  implore  you — have  pity 
on  me — help  me  to  an  interview  with  his  majesty 
the  Emperor,  or  see  me  die  at  your  feet!" 

Again  she  sank  on  her  knees,  while  her  clasped 
hands,  her  streaming  eyes,  her  pallid  and  careworn 
countenance,  and  her  trembling  frame,  attested  the 
depth  of  her  distress. 

The  Bishop  was  evidently  moved  by  her  appeal. 
He  hesitated,  however,  a  moment,  in  the  fear  that 
she  might  be  an  impostor,  perhaps  a  traitor ;  but  he 
soon  dismissed  the  thought. 

"Your  request  is  a  strange  one,  my  poor  girl ;  and 
there  are  few  emperors  who  would  permit  one  so 
humble  to  approach  them.  But  as  we  have  the  hap- 
piness to  be  tributary  to  a  sovereign  whose  chief 
pleasure  is  in  doing  good  to  his  subjects,  especially 
those  who  may  be  suffering  from  wrong  or  injustice, 
I  think  I  may  venture  to  introduce  you  to  his  pres- 

160 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ence.  But  unless  you  can  convince  him  of  your 
truth,  and  the  justice  of  your  cause,  I  warn  you  that 
it  will  be  the  worse  for  yourself." 

"If  I  do  not  speak  the  truth,  I  shall  be  willing  to 
submit  to  the  severest  punishment." 

"Come  with  me,  then,"  said  the  Bishop;  and  as 
he  spoke  he  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  motioning 
Karl  to  follow,  led  her  into  the  palace,  to  the  no  small 
disgust  of  the  astonished  and  scandalized  servants. 

Ascending  a  splendid  staircase,  and  passing 
through  several  richly  decorated  corridors  and  cham- 
bers, the  Bishop,  with  Barbara  and  her  companion, 
entered  an  ante-chamber  adjoining  the  apartments 
set  apart  for  the  Emperor  and  his  immediate  friends 
and  courtiers. 

At  a  sign  from  the  Bishop,  an  attendant  opened 
a  door,  without  announcing  his  presence. 


161 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Bishop  and  his  companions  found  the  Em- 
peror in  a  small  but  elegantly  furnished  apartment, 
where  he  was  enjoying,  with  the  most  perfect  aban- 
donment of  imperial  dignity,  the  society  of  some 
of  the  young  nobles  of  his  court. 
.  It  was  this  affability,  this  friendly  unbending,  this 
approachableness,  that  had  gained  for  him  the  pet 
sobriquet  of  "Kaiser  Max,"  by  which  he  was  uni- 
versally called  among  his  subjects. 

The  Emperor  and  his  friends  were  talking  and 
laughing  together  very  familiarly,  and  appeared  to 
be  in  the  highest  spirits. 

The  monarch  was  attired  in  a  rich  chamber-robe 
of  Genoa  velvet  lined  with  sable ;  the  others  in  gar- 
ments equally  unconventional  and  unceremonious. 

They  had  apparently  been  trying  on  portions  of 
the  costumes  they  were  to  wear  at  the  masquerade 
that  evening ;  for  the  Emperor  himself  had  on  a  black 
satin  mask  and  a  fantastic  head-dress,  while  one  of 
the  others  figured  in  a  burnished  steel  helmet  that 

162 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

contrasted  rather  oddly  with  the  easy  and  luxurious 
negligence  of  his  silken  attire. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Emperor,  "of  all  our  costumes, 
yours,  von  Carlsberg,  pleases  me  the  most — I  mean, 
that  of  the  knight-errant." 

"Your  majesty  does  me  honor,"  said  he  of  the  hel- 
met, bowing  low. 

"The  character  of  a  knight-errant,"  continued 
Maximilian,  "is  one  for  which  I  have  always  felt  a 
peculiar  veneration.  Had  I  lived  in  the  times  of 
King  Arthur  of  England,  I  had  been  one  of  the 
Knights  of  his  Round  Table.  Had  I  been  cotempo- 
rary  with  Amadis  de  Gaul,  we  should  have  been 
sworn  brothers.  To  read  of  Roland  and  the  Pala- 
dins of  Charlemagne  fires  my  blood.  'Tis  true, 
knight-errantry  was  sometimes  carried  to  a  ridicu- 
lous excess ;  still,  the  idea  of  going  about  the  world 
redressing  wrongs,  and  protecting  the  oppressed, 
appeals  to  me  as  so  noble  a  vocation,  that  were  I  not 
an  emperor,  I  would  be — " 

He  stopped  suddenly,  for  his  eye  at  that  moment 
caught  the  figure  of  his  host,  the  Bishop  of  Wurz- 
burg,  who  was  standing  in  the  doorway  with  Bar- 
bara Uhler  by  his  side. 

163 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Hey!  my  Lord  Bishop!"  cried  the  Emperor,  in 
some  displeasure;  "you  treat  us  with  little  cere- 
mony." 

"Your  majesty  will  pardon  my  intrusion,  when 
you  learn  the  cause  of  it.  And  I  think  I  could  not 
have  come  at  a  better  time,  since  your  majesty  ap- 
pears to  be  in  the  humor  of  righting  wrongs  and 
succoring  the  poor  and  the  innocent.  Now,  go  for- 
ward, damsel,  and  plead  your  own  cause." 

Barbara  advanced  with  a  timid  and  irresolute 
step,  for  she  was  awed  by  the  presence  in  which  she 
stood,  and  not  a  little  startled  at  the  aspect  of  the 
Emperor,  who  had  forgotten  to  remove  the  mask 
from  his  face,  and  was  unaware  of  the  somewhat 
ludicrous  appearance  which  he  presented  to  the  pe- 
titioner. The  other  young  men,  who  had  withdrawn 
to  the  background,  smiled  and  exchanged  looks. 

"What  do  you  want  of  me,  young  woman  ?"  said 
the  Emperor,  kindly. 

"O,  my  Lord  Emperor!"  said  she,  stepping  for- 
ward, and  dropping  on  one  knee,  "I  come  to  beg 
the  life  of  my  mother." 

"What  crime  has  your  mother  committed  ?" 

"No  crime,  my  Lord  Emperor.  She  has  been 
164 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

falsely  accused  of  sorcery  and  witchcraft,  and  must 
perish  miserably  unless  your  majesty  shall  interpose 
to  save  her." 

"That  is  a  very  serious  matter.  Is  it  the  Holy 
Office  or  the  city  courts  who  have  her  case  in  hand  ?" 

"It  is  the  magistrates  of  Nuremberg,  my  lord, 
who  have  cast  her  into  prison,  and  who  threaten  her 
with  torture  and  death  at  the  stake." 

"There  is  hope,  then;  for  with  the  Holy  Inquisi- 
tion, not  even  the  Emperor  must  meddle.  But  how 
came  your  mother,  if  innocent,  to  be  accused  of  this 
crime?  Who  is  her  accuser?" 

"His  name  is  Frederick  Schonberg,"  answered 
Barbara,  with  downcast  eyes,  and  in  a  voice  scarcely 
audible. 

"Schonberg?  Surely  not  the  son  of  Count  von 
Schonberg,  the  Burggraf  of  Nuremberg?" 

Barbara  bowed  in  answer. 

"But  what  was  his  motive  in  accusing  your  mother 
falsely  of  so  terrible  a  crime?" 

The  blood  rushed  tumultuously  over  Barbara's  face 
and  neck.  She  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not. 

But  here  Karl,  who  had  followed  her  into  the 
room,  came  to  her  assistance. 

165 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"It  was  done  out  of  revenge,  please  your  majesty, 
because  the  virtue  of  this  brave  girl  withstood  his 
base  arts." 

"The  villain!" 

"Not  content  with  sacrificing  her  mother,  it  was 
through  his  means  that  she  herself  was  stretched  on 
the  rack — " 

"O,  no,  Karl.  You  know  he  tried  to  save  me  from 
that,  but  the  magistrates  would  not  heed  him,"  in- 
terposed Barbara,  hastily. 

The  Emperor  looked  at  her  keenly.  Being  a  man 
of  penetration,  he  perceived  that  the  poor  girl  loved 
the  accuser,  notwithstanding  his  perfidy,  and  was 
even  then  trying  to  palliate  his  offence. 

He  was  now  deeply  interested.  He  ordered  Bar- 
bara to  be  seated,  for  he  observed  that  she  was  almost 
fainting  from  weakness;  and  by  close  questioning 
soon  learned  the  whole  story,  including  the  exchange 
effected  by  the  twins  in  the  prison. 

The  romantic  fancy  of  the  young  Emperor  was 
caught  by  the  tale,  and  his  interest  awakened  in  a 
high  degree.  He  was  thoroughly  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  all  that  he  was  told,  for  who  could  see  those 

166 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

pleading  eyes,  those  glowing  cheeks,  who  could  hear 
that  earnest  voice,  and  doubt  their  sincerity? 

That  her  surpassing  beauty,  heightened  as  it  was 
by  the  flush  and  animation  of  excitement,  contributed 
greatly  to  the  interest  which  her  story  awakened,  it 
would  be  vain  to  deny.  For  the  Emperor  was 
young,  ardent,  enthusiastic,  and  deeply  susceptible 
to  the  power  of  beauty.  He  was  struck  with  ad- 
miration of  her  generous  conduct  in  offering  to  sacri- 
fice herself  to  save  her  mother ;  and  incensed  beyond 
measure  at  the  perfidious  conduct  of  Frederick 
Schonberg. 

"But  he  shall  not  go  unpunished,"  he  said;  "the 
base,  unmanly  villain !  He  shall  suffer  for  his  wicked 
acts." 

Barbara's  heart  shrank  at  this.  She  did  not  wish 
to  make  him  suffer.  To  save  her  mother  was  all  she 
asked  for. 

"Take  courage,  fair  damsel.  You  shall  have  re- 
dress. I  am  convinced  that  your  mother  is  innocent. 
A  minister  of  Satan  could  not  have  given  birth  to 
such  a  daughter — to  two  such  daughters,  I  should 
say.  Be  assured  you  shall  have  justice.  When  my 
honored  father  (God  rest  his  soul!)  was  living,  he 

167 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

took  for  his  motto  a  Latin  phrase  which  signifies 
'Austria  shall  rule  the  universe ;'  for  he  loved  his  na- 
tive Austria,  and  sought  in  every  way  to  aggrandize 
her.  But  I  take  a  wider  view.  While  I  also  love 
Austria,  I  consider  myself  responsible  to  God  for 
every  part  of  the  dominions  which  He  has  seen  fit 
to  put  under  my  rule — yes!  for  every  individual  in 
those  dominions ; — and  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  prevent 
it,  not  one  shall  suffer  wrong.  My  motto  is  'Right- 
eousness shall  rule  the  universe !'  And,  God  helping 
me!  I  shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  bring  about  that 
glorious  consummation !" 

As  he  spoke  these  words,  with  glowing  cheeks, 
sparkling  eyes,  and  voice  that  rang  with  earnest 
feeling,  an  involuntary  cheer  burst  from  those  pres- 
ent, including  the  Bishop,  the  courtiers,  and  the 
wool-merchant's  son. 

"God  bless  our  noble  Kaiser  Max!" 

"Have  no  fear,  therefore,  fair  maiden,"  said  the 
Emperor,  turning  again  to  Barbara.  "You  shall 
certainly  have  justice. .  But  I  cannot  of  my  own  au- 
thority set  your  mother  at  liberty;  for  Nuremberg 
is  a  free  city,  and  its  magistrates  have  a  right  to  do 
as  they  please  with  their  own  citizens — which  right, 

168 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

it  seems,  they  abuse.  But  I  shall  send  thither  an 
order,  given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  to  stay  all  pro- 
ceedings in  the  case.  It  shall  be  sent  this  very  night ; 
after  which,  means  shall  be  taken  to  procure  your 
mother's  liberation,  and  punish  her  accuser.  It  will 
be  strange  indeed  if  the  successor  of  the  Caesars  can- 
not rescue  a  poor  old  woman  from  the  clutches  of  a 
set  of  wrong-headed  burghers.  Eh !  my  Lord  Bish- 
op?" 

"God  bless  your  majesty!"  was  all  that  Barbara 
could  say,  as,  bending  low  before  him,  she  kissed 
the  hand  he  held  out  to  her. 

Requesting  that  the  Bishop  would  order  some 
refreshment  for  them,  he  then  signed  to  her  and  her 
companion  to  depart. 

The  Bishop  accordingly  gave  them  into  the  charge 
of  some  attendants,  by  whom  they  were  bountifully 
entertained. 

Barbara  ardently  desired  to  start  on  the  return 
journey  that  very  night.  But  to  this  Karl  would  not 
consent;  and  she  was  with  difficulty  persuaded  to 
wait  until  the  morrow  morning.  For,  her  fears  for 
her  mother  allayed  by  the  Emperor's  promise,  all  her 

169 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

anxiety  was  now  to  reach  the  prison  in  time  to  re- 
lieve her  sister. 

As  they  left  the  Episcopal  palace,  a  heavy  rain  was 
falling,  which  Karl  urged  as  another  reason  besides 
her  own  and  their  horse's  fatigue,  for  deferring  the 
journey  until  the  next  morning. 

"Your  majesty,"  said  the  Count  von  Carlsberg, 
as  soon  as  Barbara  and  her  escort  had  left  the  room, 
"has  done  good  today  in  the  way  that  we  are  strictly 
enjoined  to  do  it — you  have  done  it  covertly" 

"Yes,"  said  another,  "a  deed  of  masked  benevo- 
lence is  by  far  the  best  and  noblest." 

"Your  majesty,"  added  another,  in  the  same  half 
bantering,  half  deferential  tone,  "has  already  begun 
the  profession  of  a  knight-errant,  in  the  way  of  suc- 
coring distressed  damsels;  but  the  only  part  of  his 
costume  that  you  have  adopted  is  the  visor" 

Maximilian  glanced  from  one  to  the  other,  totally 
at  a  loss  to  comprehend  their  good-humored  badi- 
nage ;  but  when  at  last  he  saw  their  drift,  he  snatched 
off  his  mask,  and  threw  it  from  him.  He  attempted 
to  laugh  at  the  strange  ideas  the  cottage  maiden 
would  have  of  what  an  Emperor's  face  was  made  of ; 

170 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

yet  felt  at  the  same  time  excessively  annoyed,  and  re- 
proved his  companions  for  not  having  informed  him 
of  his  mistake. 


171 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

After  a  comfortable  sleep  in  the  Stag's-Head  Inn, 
at  Wiirzburg,  Barbara  arose  the  next  morning, 
much  refreshed  and  invigorated. 

But  on  looking  out,  she  was  dismayed  to  find  that 
the  rain  still  poured  in  torrents.  However,  they 
must  set  out  on  their  journey,  rain  or  no  rain. 

The  prospect  was  most  dismal.  The  wind  blew 
cold  and  bleak.  The  rain  drove  in  slant  needles 
across  the  drenched  and  sloppy  ground.  But  Karl 
Tiad  a  heavy  camlet  cloak,  large  enough  to  envelop 
both  riders  in  its  folds,  and  almost  impervious  to 
moisture.  Besides,  their  hearts  were  now  buoyed 
up  with  hope,  and  that  which  would  have  crushed 
them  the  day  before  seemed  but  a  light  matter  now. 

"You  had  better  stay  till  tomorrow,"  said  the 
innkeeper,  with  an  eye  to  his  own  interest,  as  well  as 
that  of  his  guests.  "After  such  a  heavy  rain,  the 
next  day  is  sure  to  be  fine." 

But  that  they  told  him,  was  impossible,  as  they 
had  to  be  back  in  Nuremberg  by  a  certain  time. 

172 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  both  that  the  Em- 
peror's courier,  bearing  the  order  to  stay  the  pro- 
ceedings, had  been  despatched  the  night  before. 
Even  though  they  themselves  were  detained,  that 
order  would  insure  the  safety  of  both  the  mother 
and  Gretchen.  Still,  they  hastened  on,  as  fast  as  the 
heavy  roads  and  a  horse  carrying  double  would  per- 
mit. 

But  on  their  reaching  a  little  stream  that  they  had 
crossed  the  day  before  on  a  substantial  wooden 
bridge,  they  found  that,  swollen  by  mountain  tor- 
rents, it  had  overflowed  its  banks,  and  the  bridge 
had  been  swept  away.  To  ford  the  rapid  stream  was 
out  of  the  question.  No  horse,  even  with  a  single 
rider,  could  have  kept  its  footing;  with  two  riders, 
it  was  simply  impossible. 

For  the  first  time,  Barbara's  courage  gave  way. 
Seeing  their  progress  utterly  stopped,  she  laid  her 
head  on  Karl's  shoulder,  and  wept  and  sobbed  like 
a  child.  "Oh,  Karl,  what  shall  we  do  ?  What  shall 
we  do?" 

"We  must  go  back  on  our  tracks  some  distance," 
said  Karl.  "There  is  another  bridge  further  up  the 
stream — a  stone  bridge,  which  has  probably  with- 

173 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

stood  the  fury  of  the  waters;  but  it  will  take  us 
many  miles  out  of  our  course  to  reach  it.  But  keep 
up  your  courage,  dear  Barbara.  Remember  the  Em- 
peror's order.  The  courier  must  have  crossed  this 
bridge  early  in  the  morning,  before  the  water  rose 
so  high,  and  must  be  far  on  his  way  to  Nuremberg 
by  this  time." 

Night  had  overtaken  them  by  the  time  they 
reached  the  stone  bridge;  and  the  road  from  thence 
being  entirely  unknown  to  Karl,  he  dared  not  under- 
take to  travel  it  in  the  dark,  and  with  the  roads  in 
such  condition.  They  were  therefore  obliged  to  stay 
all  night  at  the  bridge-keeper's  cottage. 

When  the  morning  of  the  third  day  dawned  they 
resumed  their  journey,  still  many  miles  distant  from 
their  goal.  But  the  innkeeper's  prediction  had  come 
true.  The  rain  had  ceased,  and  the  morning  was 
clear  and  beautiful. 


174 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

As  soon  as  Margarethe  Uhler  was  left  alone  in 
the  prison,  she  experienced  in  its  fullest  extent  the 
chilling  blank  and  sinking  of  the  spirits  which  is  apt 
to  follow  a  state  of  over-excitement. 

She  was,  as  has  been  seen,  the  creature  of  impulse. 
Her  sister's  self-devotion  had  roused  in  her  the  de- 
sire to  attempt  a  similar  sacrifice.  Barbara's  tem- 
porary resistance  had  strengthened  her  resolve.  But 
no  sooner  was  she  taken  at  her  word,  and  the  last 
sound  of  her  sister's  footsteps  had  died  away,  than 
the  reaction  set  in,  and  she  would  have  given  the 
world  that  all  might  be  recalled. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  this  was  want  of  af- 
fection for  either  mother  or  sister.  She  did  not 
absolutely  regret  what  she  had  done.  But  she  had  al- 
ways been  so  gay  and  light-hearted,  never  having 
known  an  hour  of  sorrow,  or  been  separated  for  a 
her  past  happiness  with  the  lonely  and  miserable 
day  from  those  she  loved;  and  when  she  contrasted 
present,  and  the  dark  impending  future,  no  wonder 

175 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

her  heart  sank.  For  she  lacked  the  lofty  principle 
and  strength  of  character  that  sustained  her  sister 
under  her  trials. 

Then  there  was  Karl  to  think  of.  It  seemed  al- 
most cruel  in  Karl  to  go  away,  and  leave  her  alone 
in  that  loathsome  prison.  Why  did  he  go  with 
Barbara  ?  Why  did  he  not  send  a  servant  with  her 
instead  ?  "Oh,  Karl,  my  beloved !  hurry  back !  and 
save  your  poor  Gretchen  from  the  cruel  rack !" 

Alter  a  while,  however,  she  became  more  com- 
posed, and  calling  to  her  aid  that  devotion  which 
her  pious  mother  had  striven  to  instil  into  her  mind, 
endeavored  to  meet  her  fate  with  patience  and  resig- 
nation, if  not  with  fortitude. 

At  times  she  would  try  to  cheer  her  loneliness  by 
singing  some  of  her  favorite  songs  and  hymns ;  and 
the  prisoners  confined  in  the  other  dungeons  heard 
her,  and  thought  that  some  celestial  being  had  visit- 
ed the  prison.  But  to  her  it  seemed  as  if  the  thick 
stone  walls  and  the  impure  air  deadened  her  voice, 
and  gave  it  a  cavernous  sound. 

Two  days  passed  away,  in  a  solitude  unbroken 
save  by  the  entrance  of  the  sullen  jailer  with  her 
necessary  food. 

176 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

But  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  he  came  ac- 
companied by  a  physician,  who  had  been  sent  to  as- 
certain whether  or  not  the  supposed  Barbara  would 
be  able  to  undergo  a  second  application  of  the  rack. 

No  sooner  had  that  personage  begun  his  exam- 
ination, than  he  inquired,  in  a  tone  of  astonishment : 

"Is  this  the  woman  who  was  subjected  to  the 
rack  a  few  days  ago  ?" 

"The  very  same,  Herr  Doctor,"  said  the  man; 
"and  an  obstinate  hussy  she  is,  for  not  one  word  of 
confession  could  the  tormenters  draw  from  her." 

"Is  that  so?  Then  methinks  she  has  been  lightly 
dealt  with." 

"Nay,  that  she  was  not;  unless  you  would  so  call 
the  utmost  stretch  of  the  rack,  so  that  she  fainted 
with  the  pain." 

"Why,  then,  here  has  been  a  miracle  wrought," 
said  the  physician.  "The  limbs  of  this  young  woman 
are  as  sound  as  if  no  instrument  of  torture  had  ever 
touched  her,  and  her  cheeks  are  rosy  with  the  hue 
of  health.  The  hand  of  God  has  been  here." 

"Say,  rather,  the  hand  of  the  devil,  most  worship- 
ful sir,"  said  the  jailer,  with  a  loud,  brutal  laugh. 
"The  same  friend  who,  as  I  heard,  carried  off  her 

177 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

sister  in  a  flame  of  fire  from  the  men  of  law,  has 
healed  the  limbs  of  this  his  chosen  servant  by  some 
hellish  process." 

The  physician  did  not  attempt  to  argue  the  mat- 
ter, but  proceeded  at  once  to  prepare  his  report  for 
the  magistrates. 

During  his  examination,  Gretchen  trembled  lest 
the  deception  should  be  discovered;  but  even  in  the 
midst  of  her  grief  and  terror,  was  amused  by  the 
remarks  of  the  men.  And  oh!  how  she  longed  to 
know  whether  Karl  and  Barbara  had  arrived,  and 
whether  their  mission  had  been  successful. 

The  chief  magistrate  had  meanwhile  returned 
from  his  visit  to  the  Castle  of  Eisenfeld. 

Much  dissatisfaction  had  been  manifested  by  the 
Baron  and  the  Lady  Alexia,  because  Frederick  had 
not  accompanied  his  father  on  this  visit — a  dissatis- 
faction which  was  scarcely  mollified  by  the  excuses 
he  had  sent  for  his  absence. 

"I  tell  you,  Schonberg,"  said  the  Baron,  a  bluff  old 
nobleman  who  was  apt  to  speak  his  mind  plainly, 
"it  was  not  so  in  our  young  days.  What  cared  we 
though  twenty  miles  lay  between  us  and  our  lady 
love?  We  went  to  see  her  all  the  same.  I  remem- 

178 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

her  once  riding  through  a  snow-storm,  through 
drifts  ten  feet  high,  to  keep  an  appointment  with 
Alexia's  mother.  I  got  lost  among  the  mountains, 
too;  but  what  of  that?  The  warm  welcome  I  met 
with  when  at  last  I  reached  her  father's  castle,  made 
me  forget  it  all.  Love  was  love  in  those  days." 

"It  is  not  the  distance,"  said  the  Burggraf,  apolo- 
getically; "but  really  my  son  has  not  been  well  of 
late.  I  know  not  what  ails  him,  but  he  does  not 
appear  like  himself  at  all.  He  is  pale  and  languid, 
and  avoids  all  society." 

"Send  him  up  here  next  week,"  said  the  Baron, 
heartily.  "I  and  my  sons  will  get  up  a  grand  boar- 
hunt,  to  which  all  my  neighbors  for  forty  miles 
around  shall  be  invited ;  and  after  the  hunt,  we  shall 
have  a  feast  and  a  dance,  and  if  that  does  not  drive 
the  megrims  out  of  him,  I  shall  be  much  mistaken." 

The  two  old  men  laughed  at  their  own  pleasan- 
tries; but  a  frown  gathered  on  the  brow  of  the 
Baroness  Alexia,  and  resentment  rilled  her  heart,  for 
this  new  instance  of  neglect  on  the  part  of  her  care- 
less lover. 


179 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Burggraf  had  returned,  and  had  been  in- 
formed that  during  his  absence  a  witch  had  been 
before  the  court,  who  was  also  a  Hussite  heretic, 
and  that  the  witch's  daughter  having  been  put  to  the 
torture  once,  and  having  refused  to  confess,  was 
about  to  be  subjected  to  the  same  a  second  time. 

The  chief  magistrate  sighed.  Being  a  tender- 
hearted man,  he  did  not  like  such  cases.  So  great 
was  his  "weakness,"  that  he  could  feel  compassion 
even  for  a  reputed  witch. 

The  court  having  convened,  and  the  startling  re- 
port of  the  physician  having  been  laid  before  it, 
Gretchen,  pale,  and  shivering  with  terror,  was  taken 
from  her  dungeon,  and  conveyed  to  the  hall  of  Jus- 
tice. Her  last  hope  of  deliverance  was  gone.  For 
the  three  days  had  expired,  and  Barbara  had  not 
come,  as  she  had  promised.  And  Karl  ?  Alas !  Karl 
also  had  proved  false  to  his  promises,  and  had  left 
her  to  perish. 

With  eager  eyes  she  scanned  every  face  in  the 

1 80 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

court  room.  But  the  two  faces  she  desired  to  see 
were  not  there. 

A  buzz  of  admiration  ran  through  the  assembly  at 
sight  of  her  beauty,  which  was  in  no  wise  impaired 
by  her  three  days'  sojourn  in  prison,  for  her  beauti- 
ful flaxen  hair  with  its  natural  curl,  needed  little  of 
the  art  of  the  coiffeur,  and  though  somewhat  dis- 
ordered, still  crowned  her  fair  face  as  with  a  halo. 

An  added  interest  was  given  to  her  appearance  by 
the  strange  report  of  the  physician ;  but  no  one  for  a 
moment  doubted  that  she  was  Barbara. 

The  Burggraf  himself  occupied  the  principal  seat 
on  this  occasion,  Herr  Doppenhein,  the  little  deputy, 
much  to  his  chagrin,  being  relegated  to  the  second 
place. 

When  Gretchen  was  brought  in,  Count  Schon- 
berg  was  engaged  in  listening  to  the  reading  of  the 
minutes  of  the  former  day's  proceedings. 

She  was  asked  if  she  still  refused  to  divulge  her 
crimes  and  those  of  her  mother. 

Encouraged  by  the  benevolent  countenance  of  the 
chief  magistrate,  and  the  kind  tones  of  his  voice,  she 
answered  firmly: 

"I  know  of  no  crime  that  my  darling  mother  has 
181 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

committed;  and  certainly  I  have  committed  none 
myself." 

"I  do  not  think  it  will  be  necessary  to  put  this 
young  woman  to  the  torture  again,"  said  the  Burg- 
graf. 

"I  differ  from  you  entirely,  my  worthy  friend,'* 
said  the  little  deputy ;  for  he  was  there,  greatly  shorn 
of  his  beams  by  the  presence  of  his  superior,  but 
ready  to  put  in  a  word  whenever  an  opportunity  of- 
fered. "I  differ  from  you  entirely.  She  is  a  stiff- 
necked,  obstinate,  impertinent  minx.  You  can  do 
nothing  with  her.  I  myself  could  not.  The  only 
way  is  to  take  her  to  the  torture-chamber  at  once." 

So  also  said  the  rest  of  the  council ;  for  they  had 
all  that  deep  abhorrence  of  witchcraft  which  was 
considered  necessary  to  the  character  of  a  good 
Christian;  and  the  humane  intentions  of  the  chief 
magistrate  were  over-ruled. 

The  poor  trembling  Gretchen  was  then  seized  by 
the  officers  of  the  law,  and  about  to  be  taken  to  the 
scene  of  her  sister's  sufferings,  when  suddenly  there 
arose  a  great  hubbub  at  the  entrance,  the  crowd  was 
driven  back,  and  a  young  man  burst  wildly  into  the 
hall. 

182 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

It  was  Karl  Steiner. 

He  was  splashed  with  mud  from  head  to  foot ;  and 
for  some  moments  he  stood,  panting,  breathless,  un- 
able to  articulate  a  word. 

"O,  Karl !  Karl !  save  me !"  cried  Gretchen,  stretch- 
ing out  her  arms  to  him. 

The  first  words  he  gasped  out  were :  "Thank  God ! 
I  am  not  too  late !"  and  rushing  up  to  Gretchen,  he 
shook  off  the  astonished  officers,  and  clasping  her 
in  his  arms,  kissed  her  again  and  again.  "My  poor 
girl!  my  dear  love!"  he  murmured.  "Cheer  up! 
there  is  deliverance  at  hand !" 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  demanded  the 
court.  "Officers!  seize  that  man,  and  thrust  him 
out!" 

On  this  Karl,  releasing  Gretchen,  turned  to  the 
magistrates. 

"How  dare  you,  sirrah,  thus  interrupt  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  court?"  said  the  little  deputy,  in  his 
most  pompous  manner. 

"I  have  come,"  said  Karl,  "and  God  be  praised 
that  I  have  not  come  too  late ! — to  save  that  innocent 
girl  from  immolation  on  yonder  dread  engine.  I 
had  arrived  sooner,  but  was  delayed  by  the  state 

183 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  the  roads;  for  heavy  rains  in  the  mountains  had 
brought  down  the  waters  in  torrents,  and  carried  off 
a  bridge;  which  obliged  us  to  take  a  very  circuitous 
route.  On  my  arrival,  I  ran  first  to  the  prison,  and 
was  half  frantic  to  find  my  betrothed  already  gone. 
Has  not  the  Emperor's  order  arrived?" 

"Order?  What  order?" 

"An  order  to  stay  all  proceedings  in  this  case,  ob- 
tained from  the  Emperor  himself  by  the  prayers  and 
tears  of  Barbara  Uhler." 

"Young  man,  you  are  dreaming.  Is  not  this 
Barbara  Uhler?" 

"No.  That  is  Margarethe  Uhler,  her  twin  sister, 
She  who  escaped  when  Barbara  and  her  mother  were 
apprehended." 

"This  young  man  is  mad,"  said  the  court.  "Re- 
move him." 

"Hear  me!"  exclaimed  Karl;  "and  you  will  find 
that  I  am  neither  mad  nor  dreaming." 

He  then,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  acquainted 
them  with  the  exchange  effected  by  the  twins,  the 
subsequent  journey  of  himself  and  Barbara,  and  her 
personal  application  to  the  Emperor.  A  murmur  of 
applause  ran  through  the  assembly,  and  many  an  eye 

184 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

was  turned  in  wonder  and  admiration  on  Gretchen. 
But  it  was  evident  that  the  court  did  not  believe  a 
word  of  his  story. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,"  asked  the  little  deputy, 
with  his  usual  pomposity,  "that  there  are  two  per- 
sons in  the  world  so  exactly  alike  that  the  magis- 
trates of  Nuremberg  could  not  detect  the  slightest 
difference  ?  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  that  the  young 
woman  who  stands  there  is  not  the  same  young 
woman  whom  I — I  myself — examined  three  days 
ago?" 

"Even  so,"  replied  Karl. 

"And  where  then,  is  the  other  one — if  there  be 
another  one?"  said  the  deputy,  superciliously. 

"Barbara  Uhler  is  at  my  father's  house,  where 
I  left  her  this  morning,  more  dead  than  alive,  ex- 
hausted with  her  journey,  and  distracted  with  the 
delays  we  had  encountered,  and  the  fear  that  she 
might  be  too  late  to  save  her  sister.  Think  you," 
continued  Karl,  turning  to  the  chief  magistrate,  and 
growing  eloquent  from  the  very  strength  of  his 
feelings,  "that  the  daughters  of  a  servant  of  Satan 
would  thus  dispute  with  each  other  the  privilege  of 
suffering  for  their  mother?  I  appeal  to  you  all,  if 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  circumstance  you  have  just  heard  be  not  one  of 
the  strongest  proofs  on  record  of  filial  and  sisterly 
affection?  Could  this  proof  have  been  given  if  the 
persons  had  not  been  filled  with  a  deep  and  holy 
trust  in  God  ?  I  have  known  the  Widow  Uhler  and 
her  daughters  long.  They  are  as  innocent  of  witch- 
craft as  I  am  myself." 

"Your  language,  young  man,  bears  the  stamp  of 
truth,"  said  the  Burggraf ;  "but  still — the  principal 
accuser  of  the  woman  is  a  gentleman  of  high  station, 
who  could  have  no  motive  in  accusing  her  falsely. 

"Pardon  me,  Herr  Burggraf.  He  had  a  motive, 
and  he  did  accuse  her  falsely." 

"Take  care  what  you  say,  sir.  What  motive  could 
he  possibly  have  had?" 

"He  dared  to  tempt  the  virtue  of  Barbara  Uhler ; 
and  because  she  repulsed  him,  he  accused  her  mother 
of  witchcraft." 

"Young  man,"  said  Count  Schonberg,  in  a  tone  of 
severity,  "my  son  is  incapable  of  such  baseness.  Your 
whole  story  convinces  me  that  you  are  in  league 
with  these  evil  women,  and  therefore  not  entitled 
to  a  moment's  credence." 

On  this,  there  arose  a  vociferous  clamor.   "Con- 
186 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

victed !  convicted !  Away  with  him  to  prison !"  rang 
on  all  sides ;  while  the  little  deputy  rubbed  his  hands, 
crying:  "I  said  so— I  said  so  all  the  time!" 

"Let  Frederick  Schonberg  be  brought  hither,  and 
confronted  with  Barbara  Uhler,  and  let  him  deny  it 
if  he  dare!"  cried  Karl,  in  a  loud  voice. 

"He  is  right.  Go,  some  one,  for  my  son ;  and  let 
this  other  sister  (if  she  exists)  be  also  brought. 
Where  is  she,  did  you  say?"  to  Karl. 

"At  my  father's  house — the  house  of  Steiner,  the 
wool-merchant." 

"Are  you  the  son  of  Steiner  the  wool-merchant  ?  I 
know  your  father.  He  is  a  worthy  man.  If  you 
are  a  man  like  your  father  you  have  spoken  truth. 
Pray  God  it  be  not  so." 


187 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Frederick  had  not  gone  to  the  court  that  day. 
Knowing  nothing  of  the  exchange  that  had  been 
made,  he  of  course  supposed  it  was  Barbara,  scarcely 
recovered  from  her  former  sufferings,  weak,  perhaps 
crippled,  who  was  to  be  subjected  to  further  cruel- 
ties; and  he  felt  that  he  could  not  bear  it. 

As  he  sat  in  his  room,  dejectedly  brooding  on  the 
subject,  and  suffering  in  imagination  from  every 
pang  inflicted  on  her,  he  was  interrupted  by  the  hasty 
entrance  of  Jerome. 

"Please,  your  honor,  an  order  has  come  from  your 
worshipful  father  for  you  to  attend  the  court  imme- 
diately." 

"What  can  they  want  with  me,  I  wonder?"  he 
said,  as  he  rose  reluctantly,  and  passed  on  to  the 
Rathhaus,  attended  by  Jerome. 

As  they  went  along,  the  gossipping  tongue  of  Je- 
rome put  him  in  possession  of  what  had  occurred  in 
the  court  room  that  morning — the  marvelous  narra- 
tive of  Karl  Steiner  concerning  the  exchange  ef- 

188 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

fected  by  the  sisters,  the  journey  to  Wiirzburg,  and 
the  order  of  the  Emperor — which,  however,  had  not 
yet  arrived. 

"And  what,  I  ask  again,  do  they  want  of  me?" 

"Your  worshipful  father  refused  to  believe  what 
Karl  Steiner  said  concerning  your  honor;  and  Karl 
on  that  demanded  that  you  be  placed  face-to-face 
with  Barbara ;  and  the  Herr  Burggraf  observing  me, 
sent  me  off,  in  hot  haste,  to  fetch  your  honor." 

Just  as  they  entered  the  town  hall,  there  alighted 
at  the  entrance  an  imperial  courier,  "bloody  with 
spurring,  fiery-red  with  haste,"  and,  like  Karl,  be- 
spattered with  mud  from  head  to  foot. 

Advancing  to  the  chief  magistrate,  he  with  a  low 
obeisance  presented  a  parchment,  to  which  was  at- 
tached the  great  seal  of  the  empire. 

He  should  have  arrived,  he  explained,  on  the  day 
previous,  but  had  been  delayed  by  the  freshets ;  hav- 
ing lost  his  horse,  and  nearly  lost  his  life,  in  an 
attempt  to  swim  the  impetuous  stream  mentioned 
above,  from  which  the  bridge  had  been  carried 
away. 

"This,"  said  the  Burggraf,  "must  be  the  imperial 
order  of  which  that  young  man  spoke.  Johannes 

i8g 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Edler,  the  town  clerk,  will  now  read  it  publicly,  that 
we  may  know  what  is  the  will  and  pleasure  of  our 
imperial  suzerain." 

Once  more  Johannes  Edler  respectfully  took  off 
his  velvet  cap,  and  put  on  his  great  horn  spectacles ; 
and  taking  the  parchment  in  his  hand,  unfolded  it, 
and  read,  in  loud  sonorous  tones,  the  imperial  order, 
namely :  "That  all  proceedings  against  the  widow 
Brunhilda  Uhler  should  be  suspended;  that  she 
should  be  detained  in  prison,  but  comfortably  enter- 
tained; and  that  her  case  should  be  decided  accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  'Wager  of  Battle/  as  soon  as  a 
champion  should  be  found,  able  and  willing  to  appear 
in  the  lists,  in  mortal  combat,  against  Frederick  von 
Schonberg,  her  accuser." 

The  order  further  commanded  that  the  twin 
daughters  of  the  widow  should  be  immediately  set 
at  liberty,  and  that  they  should  be  permitted  to  visit 
their  mother  in  prison  at  their  will. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  variety  of 
emotions  which  the  reading  of  this  order  called  up. 
By  the  Burggraf  it  was  received  with  pain  and  per- 
plexity; by  Frederick,  with  a  feeling  of  angry  de- 
fiance; by  the  friends  of  the  widow,  with  mingled 

190 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

hope  and  dismay;  and  by  all,  with  wonder  and  ex- 
cited interest. 

"Here  is  a  new  turn  of  affairs,"  said  one  of  the 
magistrates.  "But  where  is  this  champion  to  come 
from?" 

"I  would  his  majesty  had  provided  one,"  re- 
marked another,  "and  sent  him  to  us  along  with  this 
strange  and  preposterous  order." 

"Hush!  my  friends,"  said  the  chief  magistrate. 
"Talk  not  treason.  Strange  or  not,  the  order  must 
be  obeyed.  Will  any  one  here  present,"  raising  his 
voice,  "become  the  champion  of  the  widow  Brun- 
hildaUhler?" 

There  was  a  dead  silence. 

Every  eye  turned  instinctively  on  Karl  Steiner. 
But  Karl  spoke  not. 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  little  deputy;  "judgment 
will  go  by  default,  I  fear;  for  if  this  word- valiant 
braggart  cannot  stand  the  test  to  which  his  im- 
perial majesty  would  put  his  friendship,  who  else 
would  be  willing  to  risk  his  life  for  a  miserable,  ob- 
stinate, troublesome  old  witch-woman — and  a  Hus- 
site to  boot?" 

"That  I  am  not  a  friend  in  word  only,"  said  Karl, 

191 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

stoutly,  "all  who  know  me  will  be  ready  to  declare, 
I  think.  But  I  am  a  man  of  peace — I  know  nothing 
of  fighting — I  never  handled  a  sword  or  a  lance  in 
my  life — and  for  me  to  undertake  the  championship 
would  be  to  insure  not  only  my  own  destruction, 
but  hers  also." 

"The  young  man  speaks  very  sensibly,"  said  the 
Burggraf.  "His  majesty  the  emperor  should  have 
considered  that  the  age  of  chivalry  is  over  now,  and 
that  peaceful  citizens  do  not  care  to  risk — " 

"The  age  of  chivalry  is  not  yet  over !"  said  a  rich, 
manly  voice;  and  a  man  of  noble  presence  stepped 
forward  into  the  light. 

He  was  of  a  tall,  commanding  figure,  well-formed 
and  muscular,  and  his  countenance  was  of  that 
striking  cast  which  at  once  rivets  the  attention.  His 
eyes,  bright,  piercing,  penetrating,  seemed  to  look 
into  the  very  soul,  and  betokened  an  intellect  of  no 
common  order. 

"The  age  of  chivalry  is  not  yet  over,"  he  said. 
"The  age  of  chivalry  will  last  as  long  as  there  are 
helpless  women  to  be  defended,  and  brave  men  to 
defend  them.  I  here  declare  myself  the  widow's 
champion !  There  is  my  gage,"  throwing  down  his 

192 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

glove ;  "and  if  Frederick  Schonberg  dares  to  take  it 
up,  he  shall  own  his  perfidy  at  the  point  of  my  sword, 
or  pay  the  penalty  with  his  life !" 


193 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  the  court,  as  every  eye 
was  turned  on  the  stranger. 

"I  am — 'The  Widow's  Champion!' — at  present  I 
have  no  other  name.  I  have  been  in  this  court  for 
some  time,  and  am  acquainted  with  the  leading 
points  in  the  case.  It  is  my  firm  belief  that  the 
Widow  Uhler  has  been  falsely  accused;  and  I  chal- 
lenge you,  Frederick  Schonberg,  to  mortal  combat. 
Do  you  accept  the  challenge?" 

"Before  I  do  so,  I  must  know  particularly  who  is 
my  antagonist." 

"My  rank,"  said  the  stranger,  "is  at  least  equal 
to  your  own.  I  am  at  the  head  of  an  extensive 
establishment  in  Vienna,  which  has  ramifications  all 
over  Germany.  My  name  it  is  my  pleasure  at  pres- 
ent to  conceal." 

"But  I  have  a  right  to  know  it,"  said  Frederick. 
"I  am  not  bound  to  accept  the  challenge  of  an  entire 
stranger." 

"Do  you  still  hesitate?"  said  the  other,  with  a 
194 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

look  of  scorn.  "I  am  not  surprised  to  find  a  coward 
in  one  who  could  deliberately  plunge  a  whole  family 
into  misery  and  imminent  danger,  because  one  of 
its  members  was  proof  against  his  base  arts." 

"It  is  false!"  exclaimed  Frederick,  with  flashing 
eyes,  his  pride  taking  fire  at  this  public  exposure. 

The  stranger  fixed  his  eagle  eye  upon  him  with 
a  look  of  ineffable  scorn.  He  tried  to  return  the 
look  with  scorn  for  scorn;  but  in  spite  of  himself 
his  eyes  sank,  for  he  felt  that  the  other  was  reading 
his  inmost  thoughts.  At  the  same  time  a  vague, 
undefined  feeling  possessed  him  of  having  seen  the 
stranger  before ;  but  where  he  could  not  recall. 

As  he  glanced  at  him  again,  he  saw  a  sudden 
change  come  over  the  stranger's  expression — a  gleam 
of  pleasure  overspread  his  countenance ;  and  follow- 
ing the  direction  of  his  eyes,  he  saw  them  rest  with 
a  look  of  tenderness  and  pity  on  the  pale  face  and 
enfeebled  frame  of  Barbara  Uhler,  who  was  at  that 
moment  brought  into  court  on  a  litter,  in  obedience 
to  the  commands  of  the  chief  magistrate. 

Frederick  started  as  if  stung  by  an  adder.  The 
motives  of  the  stranger  seemed  now  to  be  explained. 
He  saw  in  him  a  rival  for  the  love  of  Barbara;  and 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

a  feeling  of  the  most  intense  hatred  against  the  offi- 
cious intruder  took  possession  of  his  soul.  For, 
with  a  strange  inconsistency,  he  still  passionately 
loved  the  woman  whom  he  persecuted.  Stranger 
still,  he  loved  and  honored  her  all  the  more  for  the 
heroic  manner  in  which  she  had  borne  the  persecu- 
tions, and  resisted  the  temptations,  of  his  own  in- 
temperate passions. 

Burning  with  rage  and  jealousy,  he  snatched  up 
the  stranger's  glove,  and  throwing  down  his  own, 
said  fiercely: 

"I  accept  this  challenge !" 

The  stranger  picked  up  his  gage,  and  coolly  plac- 
ing it  in  his  cap,  turned  with  easy  and  graceful  cour- 
tesy to  Barbara. 

"Fair  maid,"  said  he,  "behold  in  me  your  mother's 
Champion.  Dismiss  all  your  fears.  Trust  me,  vir- 
tue and  innocence  shall  triumph — falsehood  and  per- 
jury shall  meet  their  just  reward." 

Barbara  looked  up  earnestly  in  his  face;  for  his 
voice  fell  on  her  ear  like  the  sound  of  remembered 
music.  But  the  face  was  strange  to  her.  She  could 
not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  it  before. 

She  murmured  her  thanks  for  his  kind  interfer- 
196 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ence  in  her  mother's  behalf.  But  she  looked  un- 
happy, dejected  and  spiritless;  and  the  wan  smile 
with  which  she  greeted  him  seemed  trembling  on 
the  verge  of  tears. 

For  alas !  the  triumph  of  the  one  combatant  meant 
the  doom  of  the  other. 

Frederick  watched  them  with  a  savage  glare.  He 
was  too  far  off  to  hear  the  words  spoken,  and  his 
jealous  eyes  could  see  nothing  in  their  brief  inter- 
view but  the  interchange  of  mutual  affection;  and 
his  heart  swelled  with  suppressed  rage. 

He  noticed,  also,  with  a  feeling  of  inexpressible 
bitterness,  that  Barbara  never  once  turned  her  eyes 
in  his  own  direction.  "She  hates  me,"  he  thought. 
"She  will  not  look  at  me." 

"It  is  then  understood/'  said  the  Burggraf,  "that 
the  case  of  the  widow  Brunhilda  Uhler,  accused  of 
witchcraft,  and  also  of  heresy,  is  to  be  decided  by 
single  combat,  commonly  called  the  Wager  of  Bat- 
tle, between  Frederick  Schonberg  and  an  unknown 
person  calling  himself  the  Widow's  Champion.  I 
would  to  heaven,"  he  added,  sighing  heavily,  "that 
this  matter  did  not  concern  me  so  closely  as  it  does. 
But  the  issue  is  in  the  hands  of  God: — and  if  my 

197 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

son  be  guilty  of  the  baseness  with  which  he  is 
charged,  it  is  just  that  he  should  bear  the  conse- 
quences." 

The  eyes  of  the  stranger  rested  on  the  countenance 
of  the  chief  magistrate  with  a  look  of  deep  com- 
miseration, which  gave  a  softened,  an  almost  wom- 
anly, expression  to  his  fine  features. 

"Yours  is  indeed,  Herr  Count  von  Schonberg,  a 
position  trying  in  the  extreme.  Believe  me,  I  deeply 
sympathize  with  you." 

"And  who  are  you,"  said  the  little  deputy,  impa- 
tient of  his  long  silence,  "that  the  Chief  Magistrate 
of  Nuremberg  should  care  for  your  sympathy?" 

The  stranger  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 
and  looked  down  on  the  little  man  with  a  glance  of 
withering  contempt,  much  as  a  great  mastiff  or  St. 
Bernard  might  look  on  a  little  snarling  pug  that 
was  annoying  him.  Although  his  fine  form  was 
simply  clad,  in  the  garb  of  the  better  class  of  citi- 
zens, the  bearing  of  the  stranger  was  decidedly 
military;  and  an  indescribable  air  of  superiority 
pervaded  all  that  he  did  or  said. 

Seeing  the  poor  deputy  quail  beneath  his  gaze,  his 
features  relaxed. 

198 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"I  am — 'The  Widow's  Champion/  "  said  he,  with 
a  good-humored  smile;  "and  at  the  appointed  time 
and  place  I  hope  to  prove  my  title  to  the  name." 

The  Burggraf  immediately  proceeded  to  appoint  a 
time  for  the  combat.  It  was  to  take  place  two  weeks 
from  that  day,  as  some  time  would  be  required  for 
preparation. 

He  then  gave  orders  that  the  accused  woman 
should  be  removed  from  the  miserable  cell  in  which 
she  had  hitherto  been  confined,  to  one  where,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  imperial  mandate,  she  could  be 
more  "comfortably  entertained,"  and  that  her  daugh- 
ters should  be  free  to  return  to  their  home. 

He  then  dismissed  the  court. 

As  the  litter  bearing  the  feeble  and  exhausted 
form  of  Barbara  passed  the  spot  where  Frederick 
Schonberg  stood,  gloomy  and  dark,  wrapped  in  his 
cloak — as  he  marked  the  pallor  of  her  cheek,  the 
dimness  of  the  eyes  once  so  bright — and  remem- 
bered that  he  was  the  cause  of  her  thus  appearing 
but  the  shadow  of  her  former  self — an  almost  re- 
sistless impulse  seized  him  to  fall  at  her  feet,  and 
confess  all,  beseeching  her  forgiveness.  But,  chanc- 
ing to  turn  his  head,  he  saw  that  the  hated  stranger 

199 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

was  intently  watching  him  with  those  powerful  eyes 
of  his;  and  he  turned  away  with  an  angry  gesture, 
muttering  to  himself : 

"No !  I  will  die  sooner  than  confess !" 


200 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

On  the  following  morning,  Frederick  entered  the 
private  apartment  of  his  father. 

The  Burggraf  was  seated  in  a  large  chair,  beside  a 
table  covered  with  papers  and  scrolls  of  parchment. 
But  he  was  not  writing,  neither  was  he  reading. 

He  sat  with  his  elbows  resting  on  the  table,  his 
head  on  his  hands,  the  image  of  dejection  and  sor- 
row. 

"Father,"  said  Frederick,  approaching  him. 

He  raised  his  head. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  said  harshly.  "You 
have  disgraced  yourself  and  me,  and  I  no  longer  own 
you  as  a  son." 

"It  is  true,  father.  I  have  disgraced  you  and  dis- 
honored myself.  But  I  have  only,  it  may  be,  a  few 
more  days  to  live — and  can  you  not  forgive  me, 
father?  What  I  did  was  done  in  the  heat  of  pas- 
sion— I  was  half  mad  with  love  and  disappointment. 
And  let  me  add,  father — what  I  did  was  partly 
your  own  fault." 

201 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"How? — my  fault? — How  so? — I  did  not  know 
one  word  of  the  matter  until  yesterday.  How  could 
it  be  my  fault?"  said  his  father,  angrily. 

"By  your  forcing  me  into  a  contract  of  marriage 
with  a  woman  for  whom  I  cared  nothing." 

"Forcing  you  ?    Nay,  you  gave  ready  assent." 

"Yes.  I  was  heart-whole  then.  I  cared  little 
about  the  matter,  for  my  mind  was  filled  with  dreams 
of  military  glory;  and  the  match  on  which  you  had 
set  your  heart  seemed  on  the  whole  a  desirable  alli- 
ance. But  after  I  met  Barbara,  things  were  changed. 
The  very  thought  of  Alexia  became  distasteful  to 
me,  as  I  contrasted  her  proud,  imperious  beauty  and 
her  coarse  manners  with  the  exquisite  loveliness  of 
the  other. 

He  then  detailed  to  his  father  the  history  of  his 
acquaintance  with  Barbara  and  her  family,  with  the 
mutual  attachment  that  had  been  the  result;  and 
described  the  many  happy  hours  he  had  spent  in  the 
humble  cottage.  "I  loved  her,  father — I  declare  it 
on  my  honor — with  a  love  as  true  and  pure  as  that 
you  bore  to  my  sainted  mother,  and  would  gladly 
have  made  her  my  bride.  But  there  I  was — bound 
hand  and  foot  by  that  contract — and  what  could  I 

202 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

do?  I  loved  Barbara  to  distraction — I  could  not 
marry  her — I  could  not  give  her  up — and  thus — thus 
— I  fell  into  the  snares  of  the  devil." 

"But  why,  my  son,  did  you  not  confide  in  me?" 
said  his  father,  relenting.  "I  would  have  found 
means  honorably  to  withdraw  from  the  agreement 
with  von  Eisenfeld  and  his  daughter;  and  would 
not  have  forbidden  your  marriage  with  this  maiden, 
who,  though  in  a  lowly  walk  of  life,  is  of  good 
parentage.  I  knew  her  father,  Bernard  Uhler.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Burger- Adel.*  Therefore  his 
daughter  is  "well-born,"  and  may  wed  with  even  a 
count  of  the  empire." 

"Oh !  if  I  had  known ! — then  all  this  misery  might 
have  been  spared !" 

"But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  accusation 
of  witchcraft?" 

"Ah!  that  was  a  piece  of  mad  folly  and  wicked- 
ness of  which  I  am  ashamed.  When  I  found  that 
Barbara  was  proof  against  all  my  persuasions  and 


*A  sort  of  semi-nobility,  composed  of  those  patrician  fam- 
ilies who  had  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits  in  Nuremberg 
and  other  large  cities,  but  who  still  retained  the  prestige  and 
many  of  the  privileges  of  their  former  rank. 

203 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

inducements  to  live  with  me  par  amours,  some  de- 
mon whispered  to  me  to  accuse  her  mother  of  witch- 
craft, and  immediately  withdraw  the  charge.  I 
thought  to  terrify  her  into  submission.  But  ah! 
instead  of  that,  the  brave  girl,  in  the  spirit  of  a  mar- 
tyr, offered  herself  to  the  torture  and  the  stake  in 
place  of  her  mother.  I  tried  to  save  her,  but  in 
vain.  And  oh !  father — when  I  saw  the  tormentors 
seize  my  pearl,  my  treasure,  and  drag  her  off  to  the 
chamber  of  horrors,  it  seemed  as  if  I  died  a  thou- 
sand deaths  in  thinking  of  her  sufferings!  And  / 
the  cause  of  all!  Can  God  forgive  such  wicked- 
ness?" 

"Then  the  accusation  was  really  false,  as  was 
declared  in  court?"  said  his  father. 

"Yes,  father.  It  was  false.  I  confess  it  to  you, 
though  I  refused  to  confess  it  to  that  man,  and  shall 
refuse,  though  I  feel  his  sword-point  in  my  heart." 

"Am  I  to  understand,  then,"  said  the  elder  Schon- 
berg,  severely,  "that  you  are  going  to  fight  in  de- 
fense of  a  LIE?" 

"I  am  going  to  fight,  in  order  to  slay  the  lover  of 
Barbara,"  replied  Frederick,  his  eyes  kindling  with 
a  baleful  fire.  "She  no  longer  loves  me — how  could 

204 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

she?  She  loves  this  man,  whoever  he  may  be.  1 
saw  it  in  her  eyes  when  they  talked  together  in  the 
court  room.  Yet  she  loved  me  dearly  once.  She 
said  so.  The  words  are  engraven  on  my  heart.  *I 
loved  you,  Frederick  Schonberg,  with  the  pure,  vir- 
gin love  of  an  innocent  maiden.'  Father!  I  killed 
that  love.  And  now" — his  voice  faltered. 

He  covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  remained 
for  some  moments  in  silence. 

His  father  kept  silence  also;  but  his  anger  was 
all  gone. 

"Have  you  any  idea,"  said  he,  after  a  pause, 
"who  the  stranger  can  be?" 

"I  have  not.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  seen 
him  somewhere;  but  where  or  when  I  cannot  tell. 
He  reminds  me  somewhat  of  Ulric  von  Carlsberg, 
whom  I  used  to  know  in  Vienna.  But  it  is  not  he. 
And  now,  father,  there  is  a  matter  that  must  be  at- 
tended to  before  I — that  is,  before  the  combat.  It  re- 
lates to  the  Lady  Alexia.  Although  I  love  her  not,  I 
am  bound,  as  a  man  of  honor,  to  save  her  from 
affront  or  annoyance.  As  I  lay  sleepless  last  night,  I 
thought  out  a  plan  which,  I  think  you  will  agree 
with  me,  would  be  the  most  honorable  thing  to  do. 

205 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

She  will  certainly  hear  of  this  matter  from  others — 
it  is  better  that  she  should  hear  of  it  first  from 
myself.  I  shall  go  to  the  boar-hunt  next  week — 
and  if  the  boar's  tusks  should  gore  me,  what  mat- 
ter?— I  shall  ask  an  interview  with  Alexia,  and 
shall  tell  her  the  truth  concerning  my  love  'for  Bar- 
bara. She  will  be  very  angry,  of  course — who  could 
blame  her  ?  Perhaps  she  will  storm  a  little,  for  they 
say  she  has  a  temper.  Then  she — not  I,  you  observe 
— will  break  off  the  engagement,  as  every  lady,  has 
a  right  to  do,  without  disparagement  to  herself 
tinder  such  circumstances." 

"But  suppose  that  she,  after  storming  a  little, 
holds  you  to  the  contract?" 

"In  that  case,  I  shall  send  for  a  priest  and  let  him 
marry  us  off-hand.  It  may  be,  she  will  be  a  widow 
almost  as  soon  as  she  is  a  wife;  but  I  shall  have 
saved  my  honor,  and  cast  no  slight  or  indignity  on 
a  noble  and  blameless  lady." 

The  Burggraf  highly  approved  of  this  proposi- 
tion; and  felt  confident  that  both  the  lady  and  her 
father  would  be  satisfied  that  no  slur  was  intended, 
by  the  turn  the  affair  had  taken.  He  was  also 

206 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

gratified  to  learn  that  the  spirit  of  manliness  still 
dwelt  in  his  erring  son. 

"There  is  one  thing  more,  father,  that  I  wish  to 
speak  of.  In  the  coming  combat,  if  I  be  slain,  my 
death  will  of  course  establish  the  innocence  of  the  ac- 
cused woman,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  Wager  of 
Battle.  But  if  her  champion  be  slain — and  slain  he 
shall  be,  for  I  am  determined  that  he  shall  not  enjoy 
the  love  that  I  have  lost — if,  as  I  say,  her  champion 
is  slain,  she  will  still  remain  under  the  imputation 
of  guilt. 

"Promise  me,  father,  that  you  will  see  her  cleared. 
Promise  me  that  you  will  save  that  good  woman 
from  the  fury  of  the  mob  and  the  rigor  of  the  law ; 
and  afterwards,  that  you  will  care  for  her  and  for — 
for  Barbara,  so  that  they  may  want  for  nothing.  If 
I  must  fill  an  unhonored  grave,  let  not  the  curse  of 
those  whom  I  have  injured  rest  upon  it.  Do  you 
promise,  father?" 

"I  promise,"  said  the  Burggraf,  deeply  moved. 

Frederick  held  out  his  hand,  but  his  father  threw 
his  arms  around  him,  and  strained  him  to  his  heart. 


207 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Dame  Uhler  had  up  to  this  time  been  kept  in 
prison;  but  in  accordance  with  the  imperial  man- 
date, was  now  removed  from  the  dark  and  noisome 
cell  into  which  she  had  at  first  been  thrust,  to  a 
clean,  airy  one,  where  many  comforts  were  allowed 
her. 

Here  the  stranger,  who  was  obliged  to  return  to 
his  "business  in  Vienna,"  pending  the  preparations 
for  the  combat,  visited  her  before  his  departure; 
having,  as  he  said,  a  desire  to  see  the  mother  of  two 
such  daughters. 

He  assured  her  that  she  need  entertain  no  more 
fears  for  her  safety,  as  the  Emperor  would  protect 
her,  according  to  his  promise. 

"But  of  the  combat,"  said  he,  "I  have  no  doubts ; 
for  though  it  does  not  become  me  to  boast,  I  have 
been  considered  by  competent  judges  the  best  swords- 
man in  Germany — except  the  Emperor — and  if  it 
were  possible  for  me  to  measure  swords  with  him, 
I  doubt  not  that  he  would  find  me  his  equal." 

208 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

The  widow,  like  all  who  came  in  contact  with 
him,  was  most  favorably  impressed  by  the  handsome 
and  courteous  stranger,  and  cordially  thanked  him 
for  his  generous  interference  in  her  behalf. 

"It  is  to  the  influence  of  virtue  in  the  person  of 
this  fair  maiden,"  said  he,  turning  to  Barbara,  "that 
you  owe  my  interference." 

"To  me!"  exclaimed  she,  astonished.  And  again 
she  looked  earnestly  in  his  face  in  a  vain  endeavor 
to  recall  his  lineaments;  but  colored  and  looked 
down  when  she  found  that  the  eloquent  eyes  of  the 
stranger  were  fixed  upon  her  with  a  gaze  as  earnest. 
For  an  instant  the  suspicion  that  had  so  aroused 
the  jealousy  of  Frederick  crossed  her  mind.  But  in 
the  next  instant  it  vanished.  For  the  manner  of 
the  Champion  towards  her  was  that  of  a  protector, 
not  a  lover.  It  was  pity,  kindness,  friendliness,  that 
shone  in  his  eyes — it  was  not  love.  But  who  he 
was,  and  how  she  had  happened  to  excite  an  interest 
in  him,  was  a  mystery  to  her.  And  the  stranger 
departed,  leaving  the  mystery  unsolved. 

The  sisters  had  now  returned  to  their  dismantled 
cottage,  which,  by  the  exertions  of  Karl  and  Wil- 
helmina,  had  again  been  rendered  habitable.  The 

209 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

broken  door  had  been  mended,  the  floor  cleansed 
and  strewed  with  fresh  sand,  the  shelves,  with  their 
small  though  pleasing  array  of  wooden  cups  and 
dishes,  replaced;  and  Vogel  hung  on  his  accustomed 
peg,  where  he  sang  his  songs,  and  cracked  his  hemp- 
seed,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  break  the  cur- 
rent of  his  existence.  Even  the  chair  and  table  had 
been  restored;  but  with  that  Karl  declared  he  had 
had  nothing  to  do.  He  thought  it  had  probably 
been  done  by  the  orders  of  the  chief  magistrate. 
But  Barbara,  in  her  secret  heart,  believed  that  it 
was  the  work  of  Frederick;  and  as  with  many  pa- 
tient stitches  she  repaired  the  damage  done  to  the 
chair-cover  by  the  rough  men,  she  drew  a  little 
spark  of  comfort  from  the  thought.  The  manu- 
scripts discovered  in  the  chair  had  been  burned  by 
command  of  the  little  deputy.  But  the  secret  recep- 
tacle of  the  table,  having  been  contrived  by  Orien- 
tal craft  and  ingenuity,  had  escaped  detection,  and 
its  contents,  so  prized  by  the  widow,  remained  in- 
tact. 

Another  unexplained  matter  was,  that  certain  deli- 
cacies found  their  way  to  the  widow's  cell — nour- 
ishing food  and  invigorating  cordials — and  no  one 

210 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

could  tell  who  sent  them.  But  again  Barbara  in- 
tuitively thought  of  Frederick. 

"It  is  he,"  she  whispered  to  herself.  "He  re- 
pents. He  is  sorry  for  my  mother.  He  seeks  to 
make  atonement." 

In  this  conjecture  she  was  not  far  from  the  truth. 
While  it  could  hardly  be  said  of  Frederick  that  he 
repented,  he  now  fully  realized  his  guilt,  and  his 
soul  was  gnawed  by  the  pangs  of  remorse  which 
he  sought  to  mollify  by  such  little  acts  of  kind- 
ness, while  his  pride  withheld  him  from  an  open 
and  manly  confession  of  his  guilt. 

Reassured  by  the  cheering  words  of  the  stranger, 
the  light  of  hope  again  dawned  on  the  family.  The 
mother,  with  that  firm  reliance  on  Heaven  which 
had  sustained  her  in  all  her  trials,  remained  in  a 
calm,  serene  frame  of  mind,  hoping  for  deliverance, 
yet  prepared  for  defeat. 

But  to  the  sanguine  and  impetuous  Gretchen  the 
possibility  of  defeat  never  for  a  moment  presented 
itself.  She  was  sure  the  generous  stranger  would 
win  the  combat.  She  laughed  and  sang  from  morn- 
ing to  night,  in  the  exuberance  of  joy  and  hope; 
and  blushingly  arranged  with  the  happy  Karl  that 

211 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

her  mother's  deliverance  should  be  signalized  by 
their  nuptials. 

In  the  midst  of  this  happiness  and  joyful  antici- 
pation, Barbara  alone  was  sad.  Her  feelings  had 
undergone  a  complete  revulsion.  Relieved  of  her 
fears  for  her  mother,  her  sympathies,  strange  to 
say,  were  now  with  the  guilty  Frederick.  The 
words  of  the  Emperor  that  he  should  not  go  un- 
punished gave  her  the  first  intimation  of  danger  to 
him,  showing  that  he  had  incurred  a  penalty;  and 
the  challenge  of  the  stranger,  given  and  accepted 
in  her  hearing,  brought  to  her  the  terrible  thought 
that  that  penalty  was  death.  To  save  her  mother, 
Frederick  must  die. 

This  was  a  blow  that  staggered  her.  The  deep, 
absorbing  love  with  which  she  had  once  regarded 
him,  rushed  back  upon  her  heart  like  a  torrent  over- 
flowing its  banks.  With  all  the  sophistry  of  love, 
she  found  herself  making  a  thousand  excuses  for 
his  conduct.  True,  he  had  erred — but  his  passions 
were  strong,  and  he  had  had  no  mother  to  lead 
his  youth  in  the  paths  of  virtue.  He  had  dared  to 
profane  her  ears  with  the  words  of  dishonorable 
love — but  she  had  done  very  wrong  to  encourage 

212 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

his  attentions,  for  how  could  one  so  high-born,  so 
wealthy,  so  courted,  espouse  a  lowly  maiden  like 
herself?  He  had  plunged  her  mother  into  misery 
and  danger — but  her  treacherous  heart  whispered, 
like  Richard  to  the  hapless  Anne,  that  "  'twas  her 
beauty  that  incited  him." 

Unconscious  that  he  was  still  an  object  of  tender 
interest  to  her,  Frederick  remained  during  the  in- 
terval in  a  most  unhappy  frame  of  mind.  Jealousy, 
anger,  and  remorse  alternated  in  his  bosom. 
Ashamed  of  his  conduct,  he  was  yet  compelled  by 
circumstances  to  defend  it.  Every  other  feeling, 
however,  was  swallowed  up  in  his  desire  to  avenge 
himself  on  the  officious  stranger,  whose  noble  quali- 
ties, contrasting  with  his  own  baseness,  had  robbed 
him,  as  he  believed,  of  the  love  of  Barbara. 


213 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

At  the  dawn  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  boar- 
hunt,  Frederick,  mounted  on  his  good  horse  Sala- 
din,  and  attended  by  Jerome,  wended  his  way  to  the 
Castle  of  Eisenfeld. 

It  was  situated  on  a  craggy  steep,  overlooking  a 
brawling  stream,  a  tributary  of  the  Main.  Great 
forests  spread  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
Baron's  demesne,  the  haunt  of  the  wild  boar,  the 
deer,  wolf,  and  other  animals  of  the  chase. 

Of  all  the  hunts,  that  of  the  wild  boar  was  by  far 
the  most  preferred  among  the  bold  spirits  of  tKe 
times.  There  was  an  element  of  danger  in  it  that 
added  zest  to  a  sport,  in  itself  peculiarly  exciting, 
from  the  stubborn  and  savage  character  of  the  ani- 
mal itself.  Horses  were  torn  by  its  formidable 
tusks ;  hounds  by  the  score  were  mangled,  and  even 
the  hunters  themselves  ran  great  risks  of  receiving 
injuries,  sometimes  fatal;  so  that  Frederick's  re- 
mark about  being  gored  to  death  was  by  no  means 
irrelevant. 

214 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

The  sun  was  well  up  in  the  heavens  when  he 
reached  the  castle,  and  most  of  the  guests  were 
already  assembled.  He  found  the  court-yard  filled 
with  men,  dogs,  and  horses,  all  in  a  state  of  excited 
preparation.  The  baying  of  the  hounds,  the  clatter 
of  the  horses'  feet  on  the  stones  of  the  court-yard, 
and  the  shouts  and  salutations  of  the  hunters,  made 
a  prodigious  din. 

The  bluff  old  Baron  stepped  around  from  one  to 
another,  with  the  heartiest  of  welcomes. 

"Ha!  Herr  Fritz!  Welcome  to  Eisenfeld!  Saw 
you  ever  a  more  glorious  day  for  a  boar-hunt? 
Run  in,  my  boy,  run  in,  and  pay  your  devoirs  to 
Alexia  before  we  start  She  will  not  be  pleased 
else." 

Whether  she  would  be  "pleased"  with  what  he 
had  to  say,  Frederick  doubted.  But  he  was  glad 
of  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  for  an  interview. 

As  he  entered  the  great  door  of  the  castle,  he 
met  another  cavalier  in  hunting  costume,  with  sil- 
ver-mounted hunting-horn  slung  over  his  shoulder, 
who  had  also,  as  it  appeared,  been  paying  his  "de- 
voirs" to  Alexia. 

To  his  surprise,  he  found  it  was  that  very  Ulric 

215 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

von  Carlsberg  of  whom  he  had  spoken  to  his  father 
a  few  days  before. 

A  pleasant  greeting  was  exchanged  between  them, 
with  a  few  words  relative  to  the  sport  of  the  day; 
after  which,  as  there  was  but  little  time  to  spare, 
Frederick  hastened  his  steps  to  the  boudoir  of  the 
Lady  Alexia,  who,  though  accustomed  to  take  part 
in  the  hunting-parties  of  her  father  and  brothers, 
was  forbidden  to  join  in  a  boar-hunt,  as  being  too 
dangerous  for  a  woman,  even  one  of  so  masculine 
a  spirit  as  the  Lady  Alexia  von  Eisenfeld. 

He  found  her,  as  usual,  arrayed  in  a  costly  and 
elegant  costume,  on  which  she  had  evidently  be- 
stowed much  care,  and  which  was  so  becoming  to 
her  that  Frederick  thought  he  had  never  seen  her 
look  so  attractive.  Her  abundant  hair,  which  Je- 
rome had  rudely  described  as  "red,"  but  which  was 
really  of  a  rich  and  mellow  shade  of  auburn,  was 
disposed  about  her  head  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
bring  out  the  whiteness  of  her  skin,  and  enhance 
the  lustre  of  her  dark  hazel  eyes. 

She  was  in  high  spirits,  and  received  him  most 
graciously,  but  failed  not  to  rally  him  on  the  fact 

216 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

that  she  owed  his  visit  to  the  outside  attractions 
held  out  by  her  father. 

"Not  so,  dear  lady.  My  visit  to  the  castle  today 
was  mainly  to  see  you.  The  hunt  was  a  mere  ex- 
cuse." 

"I  am  deeply  impressed  by  the  compliment — the 
more  so  that  it  has  been  heretofore  of  rare  occur- 
rence." 

"Forgive  me,  dear  Alexia.  I  acknowledge  the 
justice  of  your  reproof.  Certainly  one  so  honored 
as  I,  ought  to  have  been  more  attentive." 

Then  a  long  pause  ensued;  for  the  subject  was 
an  embarrassing  one,  and  Frederick  scarcely  knew 
how  to  begin. 

But  the  moments  were  speeding.  The  winding 
of  a  hunting-horn  resounded  from  the  courtyard. 
The  words  he  had  come  to  say  must  be  spoken. 

"Lady  Alexia,"  he  said,  "when  your  father  and 
mine  contracted  us  two  in  marriage,  I  deeply  felt 
the  honor  of  the  alliance — I  feel  it  still.  But  there 
are  currents  in  our  hearts  that  we  cannot  always 
control — currents  that  bear  us  impetuously  on  a  dif- 
ferent course  from  that  on  which  we  had  started. 
With  every  desire  to  be  true  to  the — " 

217 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Here,  to  his  chagrin  and  disappointment,  he  was 
interrupted  by  the  hasty  entrance  of  Carlsberg. 

"Come,  Schonberg,  come!  Hurry  up!  The  hunt 
is  starting  out,  and  men  and  dogs  are  wild  with 
excitement." 

Another  blast  of  the  horn  confirmed  his  words. 

Frederick  rose  reluctantly. 

"Excuse  me,  dear  Lady  Alexia.  I  suppose  I 
must  go.  But  I  beg  that  you  will  grant  me  another 
interview  after  the  hunt  is  over.  I  have  something 
of  importance  to  say  to  you." 

"Certainly  I  will.  And  I  wish  you — both  of  you," 
with  a  quick  glance  at  Carlsberg,  "the  highest  hon- 
ors of  the  chase.  I  would  I  could  join  you  in  the 
noble  sport,  but  they  will  not  let  me." 

Accompanied  by  the  other  cavalier,  whose  pres- 
ence and  apparent  familiarity  in  the  castle  puzzled 
him  somewhat,  Frederick  returned  to  the  court- 
yard, where  he  found  about  forty  huntsmen  assem- 
bled— knights,  nobles  and  squires,  friends  and 
neighbors  of  the  Baron.  Foresters  holding  the  dogs 
in  leash,  were  in  readiness  to  start,  and  all  the 
preparations  for  a  grand  hunt  were  in  progress. 

Frederick  was  hailed  with  loud  cries  of  welcome 
218 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

by  the  company,  with  most  of  whom  he  was  more 
or  less  acquainted.  The  five  gallant  sons  of  the 
house  were  there,  each  one  a  picture  of  health, 
vigor,  and  manliness.  Rupert  at  first  was  rather 
shy  of  Frederick,  remembering  the  incident  of  the 
summer  evening;  but  very  soon  the  enthusiasm  and 
good-fellowship  of  the  "noble  art  of  venerie"  drove 
the  thought  out  of  his  mind,  and  drew  them  to- 
gether again. 

A  great  deal  of  good-humored  banter  passed  from 
lip  to  lip,  as  to  who  should  be  the  winner  of  the 
day,  and  have  the  pre-eminent  honor  of  giving  the 
coup-de-grace,  or,  as  those  merry  youths  expressed 
it,  "sticking  the  pig." 

Though  vexed  at  the  result  of  his  interview  with 
Alexia,  Frederick  entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of 
the  occasion.  Mounted  on  a  fresh  horse,  inspired 
by  the  stir,  the  excitement,  and  the  impetuous  hi- 
larity of  his  companions,  he  cast  aside  all  cares  and 
impending  troubles,  and  gave  himself  up,  heart  and 
soul,  to  the  chase  of  the  savage  beast. 

Through  forest  and  field,  through  meadow  and 
streamlet,  through  deep  ravine  and  over  stony  hill,, 
sped  the  wild  hunt — the  thunder  of  the  horses'  feet, 

219 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

the  baying  of  the  hounds,  and  the  cheerful  "tra- 
rah!  tra-rah!"  of  the  hunting-horn,  awaking  the 
woodland  echoes,  and  startling  the  eagle  on  his 
mountain  crag,  and  the  wolf  in  the  deep  recesses  of 
the  wood. 

Whether  it  was  that  his  horse  was  fleeter  than 
the  others,  or  that  the  peculiar  circumstances  in 
which  he  stood  rendered  him  reckless,  Frederick 
Schonberg  had  out-distanced  all  his  companions, 
with  the  exception  of  Rupert  von  Eisenfeld,  whose 
steed  kept  pace  with  his,  almost  neck-and-neck. 

At  the  entrance  of  a  thick  wood,  where  the 
tangled  underbrush  forbade  further  progress,  the 
tired  animal  turned  and  stood  at  bay.  In  the  same 
instant  Frederick  launched  his  boar-spear  at  him, 
and,  springing  from  his  horse,  drew  his  short  hunt- 
ing-sword. 

With  a  furious  guttural  snarl,  mouth  wide  open, 
and  tusks  poised  to  strike,  the  wild  boar  rushed  at 
him;  and  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  Frederick, 
had  not  Rupert,  strong  and  fearless  woodsman  that 
lie  was,  sprung  to  his  assistance. 

Leaping  to  the  ground,  he  seized  the  wild  boar 
220 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

by  the  long,  coarse  bristles  of  its  neck  and  shoulders, 
and  held  it  back  by  main  force. 

"Strike,  Fritz!"  he  cried. 

Frederick,  alert  and  wide-awake,  thrust  his  sword 
into  the  throat  of  the  beast;  and  with  a  wild  yell, 
the  monarch  of  the  forest  fell  lifeless  on  the  green- 
sward. 

As  Frederick  stood  panting,  the  blood  dripping 
from  his  sword-point,  and  the  gallant  Rupert  was 
gathering  himself  up  from  under  the  carcass  of  the 
animal,  which  had  fallen  on  him,  the  rest  of  the 
company  rode  up. 

Loud  cheers  greeted  the  brave  act  of  the  two 
young  men,  and  congratulations  were  showered 
upon  them  from  every  side. 

"Aha!"  exclaimed  the  jolly  old  Baron,  clapping 
Frederick  heartily  on  the  shoulder;  "said  I  not  that 
this  grand  old  sport  would  drive  the  megrims  out 
of  your  head  ?  I  see,  my  lad,  that  you  are  no  milk- 
sop, no  parlor  knight,  though  you  have  dwelt  cooped 
up  within  the  stone  walls  of  a  city.  There  is  good 
grit  in  you;  and  it  needed  but  the  free  air  of  the 
mountains,  the  breezy  woods,  and  the  bustle  and 

221 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

excitement  of  this  glorious  chase,  to  call  it  forth!" 
The  head  forester  now  came  forward,  and  with 
great  precision  and  formality  measured  the  carcass 
of  the  wild  boar,  in  order  that  the  figures  might  be 
compared  with  others  on  record;  for  this  was  an 
animal  of  unusual  size.  This  done,  it  was  therr 
given  in  charge  to  some  of  the  attendants,  to  be 
by  them  conveyed  to  the  castle,  and  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  chief  cook. 


222 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

With  great  noise  and  clatter  the  tired  but  merry 
hunters  re-entered  the  courtyard  of  the  castle. 

Here  the  old  Baron,  elated  with  the  success  of 
the  expedition,  presented  Frederick  to  the  Lady 
Alexia,  who  had  come  forth  with  her  maidens  to 
greet  them,  as  the  slayer  of  an  immense  wild-boar, 
whose  body  measured  full  four  feet  in  length,  and 
whose  tusks  were  of  enormous  size  and  sharpness. 

"Not  so,"  said  Frederick;  "that  is  hardly  a  fair 
statement.  It  is  to  Rupert  that  the  honor  belongs. 
For  without  his  strong  arms  and  ready  hands  those 
same  mighty  tusks  would  have  spilled  my  heart's 
blood." 

But  Rupert  also  disclaimed  the  honor;  and  a 
friendly  contest  ensued  between  them,  which  was 
not  yet  decided,  when  suddenly  the  voice  of  Lady 
Alexia  broke  into  the  badinage  with  a  loud  and 
startled  cry: 

"Where  is  the  Count  von  Carlsberg?" 

For  he  had  not  returned  with  the  rest. 

223 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"He  is  coming,"  said  the  Baron.  "He  had  a  little 
mishap, — and  your  brothers  Albert  and  Rudolf  are 
bringing  him  home." 

"Ah!"  shrieked  the  Lady  Alexia,  throwing  up 
her  arms,  "you  are  hiding  something  from  me — he 
is  slain — he  is  dead! — the  tusks  of  the  wild  boar 
have  gored  him !" 

"No  such  thing!"  said  her  father.  "In  passing 
through  a  rocky  ravine  with  the  rest  of  the  hunt, 
his  horse  stumbled  and  fell — he  was  thrown  to  the 
ground,  struck  his  head  on  a  stone,  and  was  insensi- 
ble for  a  time,  but — " 

"Insensible?  Struck  on  his  head?  Oh,  he  is 
surely  killed.  O!  Ulric!  Ulric!" 

She  wrung  her  hands  in  an  agony  of  terror  and 
distress. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  said  the  Baron, 
sternly,  while  Frederick  stood  gazing  on  her  in 
amazed  and  stupefied  silence.  "Why  this  unseemly 
show  of  emotion?  What  is  Ulric  von  Carlsberg  to< 
you?" 

"Everything!  everything!  He  is  all  the  world 
to  me!"  She  clasped  her  hands  together,  and 
pressed  them  against  her  heart. 

224 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Alexia !"  cried  the  Baron,  now  thoroughly  angry, 
"leave  the  courtyard!  Go  to  your  chamber!  Have 
you  no  regard  for  the  honor  of  your  father's  house 
that  you  thus  unblushingly  display  your  interest 
in  another  man,  in  the  very  face  and  eyes  of  the 
noble  knight  to  whom  you  are  contracted  in  mar- 
riage? Go — go — I  am  ashamed  of  you." 

Weeping  and  sobbing,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her 
favorite  attendant,  she  turned  to  go.  But  at  that 
juncture  the  person  under  discussion  rode  into  the 
courtyard,  one  of  the  young  Eisenfelds  leading  his 
horse,  the  other  supporting  him  in  the  saddle. 

He  presented  rather  a  rueful  appearance.  His 
face,  pale  and  drawn,  was  streaked  with  blood,  his 
head  bound  up  with  a  soiled  and  bloody  cloth,  his 
garments  stained  and  torn,  and  his  silver-mounted 
hunting-horn  crushed  out  of  shape.  Alexia  uttered 
a  cry  at  the  sight. 

The  attendants  lifted  him  from  his  horse,  carried 
him  into  the  castle,  and  laid  him  on  a  couch.  A 
basin  of  water  removed  the  disfiguring  marks  from 
his  face,  and  revealed  the  fact  that  his  hurts,  though 
painful,  were  not  dangerous.  The  most  severe  was 
a  gaping  cut  on  the  head,  which  had  bled  profusely. 

225 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

A  retainer  of  the  Baron,  who  had  some  knowledge 
of  surgery,  took  a  few  stitches  on  it,  applied  some 
sticking  plaster,  and  bound  it  up  Math  a  clean  linen 
bandage,  prepared  by  the  fair  hands  of  Alexia  her- 
self. She  was  now  quite  calm,  having  resumed  her 
usual  cold  and  dignified  manner. 

The  needs  of  the  injured  knight  having  been 
attended  to,  the  seneschal  now  announced  to  the 
Baron  and  his  other  guests  that  the  banquet,  for 
which  their  exertions  in  the  hunting  field  had  given 
them  a  keen  appetite,  was  ready. 

Here  Frederick  distinguished  himself  as  a  trench- 
erman fully  as  much  as  he  had  done  as  a  huntsman 
earlier  in  the  day. 

As  he  partook  of  the  savory  viands  set  before 
him — the  lordly  venison  pasty,  the  roasted  sucking- 
pig  served  whole  with  an  apple  in  its  mouth,  the 
larded  goose,  the  pheasant  and  ptarmigan  and  other 
wild  fowl  of  forest  and  mountain  and  tarn — he  pon- 
dered on  the  new  turn  that  had  come  to  the  affair 
in  which  he  was  so  deeply  interested. 

"Alexia  in  love  with  Carlsberg!  Then  we  are 
both  in  the  same  predicament,  and  the  breaking  of 
the  contract  is  as  desirable  to  her  as  to  myself." 

226 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

At  first  he  thought  this  would  simplify  the  mat- 
ter, and  make  it  easier  for  him  to  escape  the  con- 
ditions of  the  contract,  the  onus  now  resting  on  her. 
But  on  second  thought  he  felt  that  it  served  rather 
to  complicate  it. 

"For  how  can  I,"  said  he  to  himself,  "as  a  man 
of  honor,  take  advantage  of  the  avowal  she  was 
surprised  into  making  by  her  terror  and  alarm? 
No.  I  shall  proceed  as  I  first  intended.  I  shall  tell 
her  the  truth  about  myself — at  least,  as  much  of  it 
as  may  be  necessary.  And  if  she  and  her  father  still 
insist  on  the  fulfillment  of  the  contract — why,  ful- 
filled it  shall  be — even  if  I  have  to  run  Carlsberg 
through  the  body  with  my  rapier  immediately  after 
the  ceremony — or  before  it." 

When  the  banquet  was  over,  the  "little  dance" 
was  held  as  had  been  arranged;  and  Frederick 
"trode  a  measure"  with  the  woman  towards  whom 
he  now  stood  in  so  peculiar  a  relation — whose 
thoughts  he  suspected  were  not  on  him  or  on  the 
dancing,  but  with  the  wounded  cavalier  on  his  couch 
of  pain. 

Owing  to  the  tired  condition  of  the  company, 
and  the  untoward  incidents  that  had  occurred,  this 

227 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

pastime  was  not  kept  up  to  a  very  late  hour.  The 
guests  dispersed  to  their  several  homes,  and  only 
Frederick  and  Carlsberg  remained  at  the  castle  over 
night. 

Alexia  excused  herself  in  regard  to  the  interview 
she  had  promised  to  give  after  the  hunt,  and  begged 
that  it  might  be  postponed  until  the  morrow;  to 
which  Frederick  of  course  consented. 

But  the  stout  old  Baron,  jealous  for  the  honor  of 
his  house,  could  not  go  to  his  rest  until  he  had  had 
an  explanation  with  the  son  of  his  old  friend,  the 
Burggraf. 

"I  am  deeply  grieved  over  this  matter,"  said  he. 
"I  knew  that  the  Count  von  Carlsberg  had  been 
paying  court  to  Alexia,  but  had  no  idea  that  matters 
had  gone  so  far.  He  had  been  coming  here,  off 
and  on,  since  the  day  they  first  met  at  the  military 
parade  in  Nuremberg.  He  had  even  hinted  to  me 
that  he  desired  an  alliance  with  my  family.  But  I 
silenced  him  at  once.  As  soon  as  he  is  well  enough 
to  travel,  I  shall  send  him  from  the  castle,  and  for- 
bid my  daughter  to  see  him  again.  A  contract  is 
a  contract,  and  it  is  not  the  fashion  of  the  Eisen- 
felds  to  break  their  word.  Of  course  there  will  be 

228 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

some  tears  and  angry  words.  But  after  a  time  she 
will  get  over  it,  and  things  will  settle  back  in  the  old 
way.  Alexia  is  wilful  and  headstrong,  but  at  heart 
she  is  a  good  girl,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  make 
you  an  excellent  wife." 

Several  times  in  the  course  of  this  long  speech 
Frederick  tried  to  interrupt  it,  but  could  not. 

As  the  Baron  paused  he  spoke. 

"Do  nothing  rashly,  Herr  Baron.  Tomorrow  I 
shall  have  an  interview  with  Alexia,  in  which  I  be- 
lieve many  things  will  be  cleared  up.  Till  then, 
suspend  your  judgment,  I  beg  of  you." 

To  this  the  Baron  agreed. 

Next  morning,  as  soon  as  etiquette  permitted, 
Frederick  repaired  to  the  boudoir  of  Lady  Alexia. 

As  their  eyes  met,  she  colored  deeply,  but  looked 
at  him  with  an  air  of  defiance. 

"Have  you  come  to  reproach  me?"  she  said. 

"No,  Lady  Alexia,  I  have  not.  On  the  contrary, 
I  have  come  to  accuse  myself.  Let  me  resume  my 
tale  where  I  dropped  it  yesterday.  I  reminded  you 
of  the  contract  of  marriage  existing  between  us. 
I  told  you  how  highly  I  esteemed  the  honor  of  an 
alliance  with  you.  But  the  heart,  dear  lady,  cannot 

22Q 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT.      . 

always  be  controlled.  There  are  feelings  in  it  that 
carry  us  away  in  spite  of  us.  With  every  desire  to 
be  true  to  the  promise  that  bound  me  to  you,  my 
heart  has  been  swept  away  into  a  love  for  another 
woman." 

Lady  Alexia  started.  A  half-uttered  cry  escaped 
her.  "You  also?" 

"I  offer  no  excuse — I  merely  state  the  fact,  leaving 
it  to  you  to  decide  what  course  you  will  take  in  the 
matter.  If  you  will  accept  the  shell  without  the  ker- 
nel— if  you  will  be  satisfied  with  the  hand  without 
the  heart — I  am  ready  to  fulfill  the  contract. 

Lady  Alexia  was  deeply  agitated. 

"Oh,  Frederick,  I  know  not  what  to  say.  From 
what  you  saw  and  heard  yesterday,  you  know  that 
I  also  love  another.  Since  the  contract  was  made, 
it  has  been  my  fortune  to  meet  and  to  love  Ulric 
von  Carlsberg;  and  I  have  been  anxiously  seeking 
some  means  of  getting  rid  of  that  contract,  without 
offending  you  or  your  honored  father,  the  Burggraf. 
For  my  own  father,  with  his  stubborn  old  German 
honesty,  insists  that  it  must  be  fulfilled.  But 
now — " 

"Now,"  said  Frederick,  "with  no  love  on  either 
230 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

side — and  not  only  that,  but  each  heart  devotedly 
attached  to  another  object — to  fulfill  that  contract 
were  a  mockery — a  sin  against  ourselves.  Still,  as 
I  said,  I  am  ready  to  fulfill  it." 

"But  I  am  not !"  exclaimed  Lady  Alexia.  "What 
you  have  now  told  me  places  an  entirely  different 
aspect  on  the  case.  When  my  father  knows  that 
you  no  longer  desire  the  marriage,  he  will  yield,  and 
I  shall  be  free  to  wed  my  dear  Ulric.  You  know 
him,  do  you  not?" 

"Yes,  I  know  him.  He  was  my  classmate  at  the 
military  school  in  Vienna.  He  is  a  fine  fellow,  and 
high  in  favor  with  the  Emperor  Maximilian.  I  con- 
gratulate you — and  him,"  with  a  courtly  obeisance. 

"Allow  me  also  to  congratulate  you.  Who  is  the 
fair  lady  who  has  supplanted  me  in  your  affections, 
may  I  ask?" 

"She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Bernhard  Uhler, 
once  an  opulent  merchant  of  Nuremberg."  And  he 
thought  within  himself,  "Alas!  there  are  no  con- 
gratulations for  me!" 

At  the  word  "merchant"  Alexia  raised  her  eye- 
brows in  surprise,  having  expected  to  hear  the  name 
of  some  high-born  lady  of  his  own  class.  But  she 

231 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

made  no  comment,  nor  did  Frederick  explain  fur- 
ther. 

Before  seeing  the  Baron  again,  he  paid  a  visit  to 
the  chamber  of  the  Count  von  Carlsberg. 

After  inquiring  into  the  condition  of  the  other's 
hurts — "Carlsberg,"  said  he,  abruptly,  "did  you 
know  that  the  lady  Alexia  and  I  were  contracted  in 
marriage  ?" 

"Well— yes— I  did." 

"And  was  it  fair,  think  you,  to  supplant  your  old 
comrade  in  the  lady's  affections,  as  you  have  done?" 

"All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,"  said  Carlsberg,  with 
an  uneasy  laugh,  not  knowing  but  that  Frederick's 
next  word  would  be  a  challenge.  "You  see,  the  case 
stood  thus.  I  found  a  beautiful  woman — a  magnifi- 
cent woman — whose  so-called  lover  neglected  her, 
and  who  deeply  felt  the  neglect.  Many  a  heart  is 
caught  in  the  rebound.  It  was  so  with  hers.  You 
were  content  to  woo  her  through  your  father.  But 
I  followed  a  different  plan.  I  did  my  own  wooing, 
and  it  is  my  joy  and  happiness  to  know  that  I  have 
won  her  love.  And  gladly  would  I  make  her  the 
Countess  von  Carlsberg,  did  not  her  father  insist  on 
the  keeping  of  that  unlucky  contract." 

232 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"He  will  insist  no  more,  I  think,"  said  Frederick. 
He  then  informed  the  other  that  he  and  Lady  Alexia 
had  come  to  an  understanding,  and  had  mutually  and 
amicably  agreed  to  dissolve  the  contract  that  had 
caused  so  much  annoyance  and  unhappiness — sub- 
ject only  to  the  approval  of  the  Baron. 

"Let  me  get  up!"  said  Carlsberg,  springing  from 
his  couch  so  hastily  that  he  somewhat  disarranged 
his  bandages.  "Let  us  go  at  once  to  the  Baron, 
and  have  this  matter  settled." 

The  two  young  men  then  sought  the  presence  of 
the  lord  of  the  castle;  and  Frederick,  after  detail- 
ing to  him  exactly  how  the  matter  stood,  at  last 
succeeded  in  satisfying  the  old  nobleman  that  he 
was  willing  to  resign  his  promised  bride  to  his  more 
fortunate  friend  Carlsberg,  and  that  the  breaking 
of  the  contract  involved  no  principle  of  honor,  but 
was  agreeable  to  all  parties. 

But  it  was  a  great  disappointment  *o  the  Baron. 

"Wolfgang  von  Schonberg  and  I  were  boys  to- 
gether, and  it  had  long  been  a  favorite  wish  of 
mine  that  his  boy  and  my  girl  might  make  a  match. 
But  it  was  not  so  to  be.  The  will  of  God  be  done." 

233 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Frederick  kept  up  his  cheerful  aspect  until  he 
bade  adieu  to  the  castle  of  Eisenfeld. 

But  as  he  rode  back  to  Nuremberg  his  gloom  re- 
turned at  thought  of  what  lay  before  him;  and  he 
sighed  as  he  rode  on:  "Oh,  if  I  had  known! — if  I 
had  only  known !" 

Jerome,  who  had  kept  well  out  of  the  way  of  the 
wild  boar's  tusks,  had  had  a  full  feast  of  gossip — 
as  well  as  of  the  Baron's  good  things — and  had  not 
failed  to  inform  the  other  lackeys  of  the  great  pas- 
sage of  arms  about  to  take  place  between  his  mas- 
ter and  an  officious  stranger  whom  nobody  knew, 
but  who  had  dared  to  call  his  veracity  in  question. 
The  matter  he  told  them  was  concerning  a  certain 
witch  woman  who  was  also  a  heretic,  and  who 
would  doubtless  be  bumed  as  she  deserved  to  be, 
when  the  combat  was  over. 

But  Jerome  was  so  far  loyal  to  his  master  that 
with  all  his  love  of  gossip  he  did  not  mention  Bar- 
bara's name,  or  hint  at  Frederick's  connection  with 
her. 


234 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Preparations  for  the  combat  were  begun  on  a 
grand  scale.  Lists  were  set  out  and  judges  ap- 
pointed. Everything,  in  a  word,  was  arranged,  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  for  such  contests ;  and  the  Nur- 
embergers  looked  forward  to  the  coming  pageant, 
so  novel  and  interesting,  with  a  vast  deal  of  ex- 
citement and  delighted  expectation. 

Tilts  and  tourneys  were  common  enough.  They 
were  the  favorite  amusement  of  the  patrician  young 
men  of  the  place,  being  held  either  in  the  large 
market-place  or  the  great  hall  of  the  Rathhaus, 
usually  with  twelve  combatants  on  either  side.  But 
those  were  merely,  in  the  language  of  chivalry — 
combats  a  plaisance,  or  for  amusement — resulting 
in  nothing  more  serious  than  a  multitude  of  shiv- 
ered lances,  or  perhaps  a  disabled  horse  or  two. 

But  the  Wager  of  Battle,  or  Battle  Ordeal,  was 
very  different.  It  was  a  combat  a  entrance,  or  to- 
the-death.  It  was  fought  between  a  person  accused 
of  crime  and  his  accuser.  But  if  the  accused  person 

235 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

were  "a  woman,  or  a  child,  or  a  priest,  or  a  man 
of  sixty  years,  or  blind,  or  lame,"  he  or  she  could 
appear  by  a  "champion."  The  conditions,  however, 
were  the  same  in  either  case,  namely,  that  the  com- 
bat was  an  appeal  to  the  judgment  of  God,  and 
that  He  would  give  the  victory  to  the  innocent  or 
injured  party.  The  combatants  were  to  join  hands 
before  a  magistrate,  and  to  swear  that  neither  of 
them  would  resort  to  sorcery  or  witchcraft.  The 
combat  might  last  "until  the  stars  appeared,"  when, 
if  neither  was  killed,  the  one  most  disabled  would 
be  adjudged  guilty,  and  immediately  handed  over 
to  the  executioner. 

The  appeal  to  the  Trial-by-Combat  was  rare. 
There  had  not  been  such  a  thing  in  Nuremberg 
within  the  memory  of  man. 

Hence  the  unusual  interest  with  which  it  was 
looked  forward  to. 

But  here  a  difficulty  arose,  as  unexpected  as  it 
seemed  at  first  insurmountable. 

The  hereditary  nobility  of  the  Circle  of  Fran- 
conia — the  counts,  barons,  and  knights — arose  and 
protested  loudly  and  vehemently  against  the  pro- 
posed combat,  declaring  it  to  be  a  direct  and  un- 

236 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

provoked  insult  to  them  and  to  their  order.  They 
maintained  that  the  combat  a  outrance,  as  well  as 
a  plaisance,  was  a  knightly  privilege,  only  to  be 
engaged  in  by  persons  of  pure  blood  and  high  birth, 
and  that  it  was  peculiarly  debarred  to  all  those 
whose  fingers  had  been  soiled  by  the  dirty  traffic  of 
commerce. 

Frederick  Schonberg,  being  himself  a  knight, 
and  the  son  of  the  noble  and  well-born  Count  von 
Schonberg,  was  of  course  entitled  to  all  the  priv- 
ileges of  knighthood.  But  this  person  who  had 
challenged  him,  who  had  refused  to  give  his  name, 
and  had  said  he  was  at  the  head  of  an  establishment 
in  Vienna — probably  a  mercantile  establishment — 
was  in  no  manner  fit  to  be  opposed  to  him.  They 
therefore  demanded  that  the  proposed  combat 
should  be  given  up,  unless  the  man  calling  himself 
the  Widow's  Champion  could  show  that  he  was  of 
equal  rank  with  his  opponent;  and  declared  that 
otherwise  the  combat  could  not  and  should  not  take 
place. 

The  authorities  of  Nuremberg,  on  the  other  hand, 
asserted  their  right  to  do  as  they  pleased  in  their 
own  city — that  it  was  a  free  city  and  a  wealthy 

237 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

city — that  if  they  chose  to  get  up  a  costly  pageant 
to  decide  a  point  of  law,  no  one  had  any  right  to 
interfere — that  the  time  had  gone  by  when  high 
descent  and  noble  blood  were  the  only  things  held 
in  estimation — that  a  wealthy  merchant  nowadays 
was  as  good  as  a  lord  or  a  knight,  if  not  better — 
and  finally  that  the  combat  would  and  should  take 
place,  in  spite  of  all  the  lords,  and  knights,  and 
counts,  and  barons,  in  Christendom. 

On  this,  the  wrath  of  the  knightly  party  went 
beyond  all  bounds.  They  stormed,  and  raved,  and 
protested,  and  talked  stupendous  things;  and  de- 
nounced the  city  of  Nuremberg  in  a  manner  truly 
terrible. 

But  the  sturdy  burghers  were  not  to  be  daunted. 
They  stormed  and  raved  and  protested  quite  as 
much  as  their  opponents;  and  the  more  that  was 
said  on  both  sides  only  rendered  each  party  more 
obstinate.  Meetings  without  number  were  held; 
ambassadors  passed  continually  between  the  con- 
tending powers.  Threats  and  expostulations  were 
alternately  bandied  from  one  to  the  other  side;  and 
the  greatest  confusion  reigned  throughout  the  cir- 
cle. 

238 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Nor  was  this  all.  People  not  personally  inter- 
ested in  the  quarrel  began  to  take  different  sides — 
the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  taking  part  with  the 
Nurembergers,  and  the  country  people,  high  and  low, 
with  the  knightly  complainants.  The  adherents  of 
both  parties  were  so  fiercely  pitted  against  each 
other,  serious  fears  were  entertained  that  instead! 
of  a  single  combat  a  general  civil  war  would  ensue 
— springing,  as  some  wars  on  record  have  done, 
from  a  mere  punctilio. 

At  length,  seeing  that  there  was  no  probability 
of  their  agreeing,  they  resolved  to  refer  their  dif- 
ferences to  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  at  whose 
suggestion  the  Wager  of  Battle  had  been  first  pro- 
posed, and  to  stand  by  his  decision,  whatever  it 
might  be. 

Expectation  was  on  the  qui  vive  during  the  time 
that  elapsed  between  the  departure  of  their  mes- 
senger and  the  arrival  of  the  imperial  decision. 
The  people  of  Nuremberg  felt  confident  that  it 
would  be  given  in  their  favor,  since  his  imperial 
majesty  never  would  have  proposed  a  thing  that 
was  contrary  to  law ;  while  the  nobility  were  equally 
confident  that  when  the  matter  was  represented  in 

239 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

its  true  light  to  his  majesty  he  would  at  once  see 
the  propriety  of  curbing  the  arrogance  of  the  as- 
piring burghers. 

After  some  delay  the  much-desired  decision 
came. 

But  how  describe  the  joy,  the  pride,  the  gratu- 
lation  and  the  triumph  of  the  Nurembergers  when 
they  found  that  it  had  been  given  in  their  favor, 
with  the  additional  information  that  his  gracious 
majesty  had  been  pleased  to  laugh  very  heartily 
when  the  subject  was  laid  before  him. 

And  those  who  knew  Maximilian  best  suspected 
that  he  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  humble  the 
pride  of  the  nobles,  and  show  himself  the  friend 
of  the  people. 

Pleasure  and  admiration  now  sparkled  in  every 
eye.  The  Emperor  was  extolled  as  a  wise,  sensible 
and  judicious  prince.  This  opinion,  however,  was 
entertained  by  only  one  side,  the  other  being  firmly 
convinced  that  the  decision  savored  of  partiality 
and  injustice.  But  they  had  to  submit  with  the 
best  grace  possible,  since  from  the  imperial  fiat 
there  was  no  appeal.  The  more  sensible  of  them 
took  their  defeat  in  good  part,  and  even  made  the 

240 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

whole  matter  a  subject  of  mirth.  But  there  were 
some  who  regarded  themselves  as  deeply  injured, 
who  nevertheless  took  some  comfort  in  thinking 
that  the  pageant  should  not  be  honored  with  their 
presence. 

Scarcely  had  this  matter  been  settled,  when  an- 
other arose  to  vex  and  hinder  the  authorities. 

A  question  was  raised  by  the  agents  of  the  In- 
quisition as  to  whether  a  Hussite  heretic,  who  was 
at  the  same  time  accused  of  the  detestable  crime  of 
witchcraft,  could,  without  sacrilege,  appeal  to 
Heaven  for  a  decision  in  her  favor. 

But  the  sturdy  Nurembergers  claimed  that  in 
their  great  free  city  they  had  a  right  to  administer 
their  laws  in  the  manner  that  suited  themselves, 
especially  when  backed  by  the  word  of  the  Emperor. 
As  in  the  other  case,  meeting  after  meeting  was 
held,  and  much  discussion  ensued.  But  the  town 
council  stood  firm ;  and  after  a  time  the  ecclesiastical 
court  withdrew  its  objections. 

For  though  the  Inquisition  was  still  a  power  in 
the  principal  cities  of  Germany,  it  was  tottering  to 
its  fall;  for  the  trumpet  of  the  Reformation  had 

241 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

begun  to  sound,  and  men  claimed  the  right  of  free 
thought  and  free  speech. 

The  preparations  which,  though  hindered,  had 
never  been  wholly  stopped,  then  went  on  with 
great  vigor.  The  sound  of  the  carpenter's  tools  re- 
sounded from  morn  till  night;  the  gilder  and  deco- 
rator displayed  their  taste  and  ingenuity  in  fitting 
up  and  arranging  the  galleries  and  pavilions  erected 
to  accommodate  the  spectators. 

The  combat  was  looked  forward  to  by  all  ranks 
of  people  as  something  to  break  the  dull  routine  of 
everyday  life;  and  in  the  excitement  incident  to  the 
occasion  it  seemed  to  be  forgotten  that  the  struggle 
was  to  be  one  of  life  and  death,  and  that  the  fate  of 
a  poor  unhappy  woman  depended  on  the  issue  of  it. 


242 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  day — the  all-important  day — appointed  for 
the  Wager  of  Battle  dawned  in  beauty  and  splendor 
over  the  city  of  Nuremberg,  and  showed  a  scene 
of  unwonted  bustle  and  activity. 

Groups  of  people  in  holiday  attire  appeared  on 
the  streets  at  an  early  hour,  whose  footsteps  all 
turned  in  the  same  direction. 

By  and  by  their  numbers  increased,  and  a  con- 
tinuous stream — composed  not  only  of  the  citizens 
of  Nuremberg,  but  also  of  the  people  of  the  neigh- 
boring cities  and  the  surrounding  country — poured 
eagerly  toward  the  scene  of  action. 

This  was  outside  the  gates  of  the  city,  where  a 
large  open  space  had  been  inclosed,  somewhat  in  the 
form  of  an  amphitheatre.  And  certainly  no  spot 
could  have  been  found  more  suitable  for  reviving 
one  of  the  almost  obsolete  usages  of  chivalry  than 
beneath  the  walls  and  turrets  of  this  ancient  city. 

The  four  massive  cylindrical  watch  towers  that 
flank  the  arched  gateway  were  gaily  hung  .with  ban- 

243 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

ners,  and  their  battlements,  as  well  as  the  walls 
themselves,  crowded  with  people,  eager  to  witness 
the  spectacle.  Galleries  and  pavilions  had  been 
erected  around  the  inclosure,  decorated  with  dra- 
peries and  gilding  and  surmounted  by  waving  flags. 

These  structures,  as  the  spectators  began  to  as- 
semble, were  soon  filled  with  the  elite  of  the  bur- 
gravate  of  Nuremberg — the  belles  and  beaux,  the 
beauty  and  fashion,  both  of  town  and  country.  For 
the  greater  part  of  the  "preux  chevaliers"  who  had 
so  rancorously  opposed  the  combat  found  their 
curiosity  stronger  than  their  animosity,  and,  with 
their  ladies,  were  among  the  first  to  attend.  As  a 
general  thing  the  nobles  looked  down  on  the  civic 
festivities  of  the  city  on  the  Pegnitz;  but  the  pe- 
culiar circumstances  of  this  case  created  an  unusual 
degree  of  interest  and  curiosity. 

Magnificent  was  the  display  of  rich  and  costly 
attire,  of  brilliant  color,  of  splendid  court  robes  and 
military  uniforms,  of  bright  eyes  and  beautiful 
faces,  of  white  arms  and  bosoms  veiled  with  filmy 
laces,  that  met  the  gaze  of  the  less  fortunate  indi- 
viduals who  were  obliged  to  stand  on  mother  earth, 

244 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

as  they  turned  it  admiringly  on  the  carved,  gilded 
and  curtained  fronts  of  the  galleries. 

At  one  end  stood  a  pavilion  superior  in  height 
and  embellishment  to  the  rest.  This  was  appro- 
priated to  the  magistrates,  their  families  and  friends. 
It  was  hung  with  elegant  draperies  of  crimson  and 
white;  and  its  front  was  adorned  with  the  armorial 
bearings  of  the  city.  Fringes,  trappings,  and  or- 
naments of  gold  gave  a  splendid  finish  to  its  deco- 
rations; and  over  all  floated  the  standard  of  the 
great  free  city — an  immense  sheet  of  spick-and-span 
new  yellow  silk,  tapering  at  the  end,  and  cleft  in  a 
swallow-tail — emblazoned  with  the  arms  of  the 
city  in  black  and  gold,  and  unfolding  for  the  first 
time  on  the  balmy  air  of  heaven. 

In  the  front  of  the  pavilion  sat  the  Burggraf,  pale 
and  silent,  but  with  inflexible  resolve  written  on 
his  brow;  striving,  like  the  Roman  father  of  old, 
to  stifle  the  yearnings  of  parental  affection  at  the 
imperious  command  of  public  duty.  His  colleagues, 
who  deeply  sympathized  with  him,  all  advised  him 
to  absent  himself  from  a  scene  necessarily  so  pain- 
ful to  him — particularly  our  friend  the  little  deputy, 
whose  sympathy  was  perhaps  not  wholly  unmixed, 

245 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

for  in  his  superior's  absence  he  himself  occupied 
the  place  of  honor  and  authority. 

But  the  Burggraf  remained  firm. 

Prominent  among  the  guests  in  the  magisterial 
pavilion  appeared,  as  on  a  former  occasion,  the  rubi- 
cund face  and  stout  form  of  the  old  nobleman  Baron 
von  Eisenfeld,  with  his  five  sons  and  his  beautiful 
daughter,  the  Baroness  Alexia. 

The  lady  was  looking  her  best.  She  was  attired 
in  a  robe  of  dazzling  scarlet  velvet,  richly  embroid- 
ered with  threads  of  gold ;  and  was  resplendent  with 
chains  and  gauds  and  jewels  that  a  queen  might  have 
envied. 

By  her  side  sat  the  Emperor's  favorite,  Count 
Ulric  von  Carlsberg,  to  whom  she  was  now  affianced, 
and  through  her  marriage  with  whom  she  expected 
soon  to  have  the  gratification  of  her  darling  wish — 
to  be  presented  at  the  imperial  court. 

By  this  time  the  whole  story  of  Frederick's  in- 
fatuation for  Barbara  had  reached  the  ears  of  the 
proud  Baroness;  and  she  was  filled  with  disdain  to 
learn  that  the  woman  for  whom  he  had  renounced 
an  alliance  with  herself  was  that  very  same  poorly- 

246 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

clad  maiden  whom  he  had  "picked  up"  from  the 
dusty  flagging  of  the  market-place. 

"A  girl  of  the  people!"  exclaimed  she,  in  accents 
of  scorn:  "A  girl  who  has  neither  high  birth,  nor 
long  descent,  nor  money,  nor  anything,  except  a 
rather  pretty  face! — A  girl  who  has  labored  with 
her  hands  to  support  her  mother  and  herself ! — And 
to  think  that  he  might  have  had  Me!" 

"All  the  better  for  me  that  he  did  not  appreciate 
the  privilege,"  said  Ulric  von  Carlsberg,  as  he 
thought  of  the  forests,  and  the  mines,  and  the  broad 
acres  that  would  one  day  be  his,  through  his  wife. 

On  a  plain,  unadorned  bench,  just  below  this  gay 
pavilion,  sat  the  family  of  Steiner  the  wool-mer- 
chant, with  the  twin  sisters  under  their  care. 

Gretchen  was  attired  as  became  the  affianced  bride 
of  the  wealthy  wool-merchant's  son— for  so  Karl, 
as  well  as  his  mother  and  sisters,  had  insisted  that 
she  should  be,  on  an  occasion  so  public.  The  un- 
wonted richness  of  her  garments,  while  it  delighted 
her  youthful  fancy,  enhanced  her  beauty  in  no  small 
degree.  Her  eyes  sparkled  with  pleasure,  and  her 
pretty,  fair  hair,  crowned,  but  not  concealed,  by  a 

247 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

little  silken  cap,  glistened  in  the  sunshine  like  a 
tangle  of  golden  threads. 

Jerome,  who  espied  her  from  a  distance,  mur- 
mured to  himself:  "Ah!  the  fluffy-haired  one  for 
me!"  and  sighed  to  think  how  utterly  vain  was  his 
admiration. 

The  same  kind  friends  wished  to  furnish  similar 
adornments  to  her  sister ;  but  with  a  gentle  firmness 
Barbara  declined  them,  and  appeared  in  the  same 
blue  bodice,  with  kerchief  and  sleeves  of  linen,  that 
she  had  worn  on  the  day  when  she  first  met  Fred- 
erick Schonberg — looking  far  lovelier  in  this  simple 
attire  than  many  a  proud  beauty  who  shone  in  splen- 
dor in  the  gay  painted  galleries. 

Not  far  from  where  they  sat,  in  a  sort  of  pen  or 
cage,  guarded  by  officers  of  the  law,  the  poor  widow 
was  placed,  to  await  the  result  of  the  Trial  by  Bat- 
tle; while  a  little  space  apart  stood  an  iron  stake 
with  chain  attached,  and  fagots  piled  around  its 
base — showing  what  her  fate  would  be,  should  her 
champion  be  defeated. 

Among  the  spectators  were  to  be  seen  all  who 
have  figured  in  our  story — Johannes  Edler,  the  town 
clerk,  with  his  huge  watch  and  spectacles,  who  was 

248 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  course  seated  in  the  great  pavilion,  Albert  Diirer, 
the  distinguished  painter,  Hans  Sachs,  the  poet, 
Leonhard  Nonnenbeck,  leader  of  the  Guild  of  Mas- 
ter-singers— who  also  occupied  seats  of  honor ;  Otto. 
Wenzel,  the  student,  the  man  in  advance  of  his  age ; 
big  Hugo  the  blacksmith,  with  the  other  guests  of 
the  Bratwwstglocklein,  even  to  the  old  sailor  from 
Genoa,  whose  ship  was  not  yet  ready  to  sail. 
Jerome,  of  course,  was  there,  in  attendance  on  his 
master ;  also  his  friend  Gottlieb,  with  his  master. 

The  Champion  had  arrived  from  Vienna  the  day 
before.  He  had  expressed  himself  as  highly  pleased 
with  the  arrangements  that  had  been  made,  and  com- 
plimented the  citizens  of  Nuremberg  on  their  taste 
and  their  liberality. 

After  an  interview  with  the  authorities,  he  had 
again  visited  the  widow,  and  once  more  assured  her 
and  her  daughters  of  his  kindly  interest,  and  his 
certain  success. 

And  in  that  brief  interview,  he  had  read  the  heart 
of  Barbara.  As  he  spoke  in  stern  tones  of  Fred- 
erick— of  his  false  and  cruel  conduct,  of  his  impend- 
ing fate  and  probable,  nay,  certain  death  by  his 
hand,  he  saw  how  her  bosom  heaved,  her  lip 

249 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

trembled,  and  her  whole  soul  looked  from  her  eyes 
in  a  pathetic  though  silent  appeal  for  mercy — he 
understood  that  she  still  loved  the  man  who  had 
wrought  so  much  evil  to  her  and  hers. 

He  became  grave  and  silent,  and  soon  after  took 
his  leave,  wondering  much  at  the  heart  of  woman, 
and  feeling  quite  unable  to  sound  its  unsearchable 
depths. 


250 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

As  the  last  stroke  of  the  appointed  hour  resounded 
from  the  belfry  of  St.  Lawrence  church,  a  trumpet 
sounded.  A  herald  then  advanced  into  the  lists, 
and  in  a  loud  voice  delivered  the  challenge  of  the 
Widow's  Champion. 

"An  armed  knight,  who  desires  to  be  known  as 
the  Widow's  Champion,  gives  the  lie  to  Frederick 
von  Schonberg,  in  his  accusation  of  witchcraft 
against  Brunhilda  Uhler,  and  will,  in  single  combat 
with  him,  maintain  the  innocence  of  the  said  Brun- 
hilda Uhler,  to  the  death!  And  God  defend  the 
right!" 

Another  trumpet  sounded,  and  the  challenge  was 
answered  by  another  herald: 

"Frederick  von  Schonberg,  a  knight  and  citizen 
of  Nuremberg,  accuses  Brunhilda  Uhler  of  witch- 
craft, and  in  single  combat  with  an  unknown  knight, 
calling  himself  the  'Widow's  Champion,'  will  main- 
tain his  allegations,  to  the  death !" 

This  done,  the  marshal  then  announced  the  terms 

251 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

of  the  combat.  The  usual  terms  of  the  battle- 
ordeal  were,  that  the  death  of  either  combatant  de- 
cided the  day;  but  if  the  accuser,  when  disarmed, 
craved  his  life,  he  was  allowed  to  live  as  a  "recreant," 
that  is,  on  retracting  the  perjury  he  had  sworn  to. 

This  ceremony  over,  the  trumpets  sounded  again, 
and  the  combatants  entered  the  lists,  one  at  each  end, 
accompanied  by  their  squires.  They  were  to  fight 
on  horseback,  and  in  complete  armor. 

Frederick  rode  his  beautiful  Arabian,  Saladin ;  his 
opponent,  a  splendid  black  charger,  of  the  same 
noble  breed. 

Frederick's  shield  displayed  the  coat-of-arms  of 
his  family,  and  his  helmet  its  crest;  but  he  bore  on 
his  lance  the  black  and  yellow  colors  of  the  city,  he 
being  in  a  sense  her  representative. 

The  stranger's  casque  was  perfectly  plain.  His 
lance  bore  a  pennon  of  blue,  the  symbol  of  truth. 
His  shield,  of  burnished  bronze,  was  without  de- 
vice of  any  kind. 

Each  was  arrayed  in  a  complete  suit  of  chain- 
mail,  that  of  Frederick  being  by  far  the  most  costly, 
embellished  with  silver  and  other  rich  ornamentation 
— from  which  the  wise  ones  argued  that  the  Nurem- 

252 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

berger  was  more  wealthy  than  "the  man  from 
Vienna." 

A  murmur  of  admiration  ran  through  the  as- 
sembly at  the  noble  appearance  of  the  two  young 
men — the  one  slender,  graceful,  and  pre-eminently 
handsome,  the  other  tall,  muscular,  commanding. 

As  they  entered  the  arena,  their  eyes  met,  with  a 
look  on  the  one  side  of  stern  determination,  on  the 
other,  of  fierce  defiance. 

At  the  word  of  the  marshal,  each  lance  was  placed 
in  rest,  each  steed  given  rein ;  and  with  a  shock  that 
seemed  to  shake  the  ground,  the  combatants  met  in 
the  centre. 

Both  lances  were  shivered,  but  no  other  damage 
inflicted. 

Returning  to  the  starting-point,  fresh  lances  were 
supplied  by  their  squires,  and  another  furious  tilt 
was  made.  Here  the  superior  weight  and  strength 
of  the  stranger  were  apparent.  For  though  both 
spears  struck  the  shields  at  the  same  moment,  such 
was  the  force  of  the  Champion's  blow,  that  Fred- 
erick was  unhorsed,  and  his  charger  galloped  off  to 
the  end  of  the  lists. 

Unhurt  by  his  fall,  however,  he  was  on  his  feet 

253 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

in  an  instant,  with  drawn  sword.  The  stranger 
sprang  from  his  horse,  and  drawing  his  sword  also, 
the  combat  was  recommenced  on  foot. 

It  was  a  masterly  trial  of  skill,  for  the  contestants 
were  fairly  well  matched,  the  superior  strength  of 
the  stranger  being  amply  compensated  by  the  light- 
ness and  agility  of  Frederick.  In  fact,  the  latter 
was  so  well  versed  in  the  noble  art  of  fencing,  that 
the  Champion  might  well  think  he  had  been  flattered 
by  those  who  had  pronounced  him  the  "best  swords- 
man in  Germany." 

The  contest  was  watched  with  breathless  attention 
by  the  assembly.  But  it  was  evident,  from  the  ex- 
clamations that  from  time  to  time  broke  forth,  that 
the  sympathies  of  the  majority  were  enlisted  in  favor 
of  the  Widow's  Champion,  rather  than  their  own 
townsman ;  for  "people,"  says  a  French  writer,  "are 
always  ready  to  applaud  a  generous  impulse,  even 
though  by  so  doing  they  condemn  themselves." 

A  vast  number  of  brilliant  strokes  were  given 
and  parried  on  both  sides,  without  signal  advantage 
to  either.  Frederick's  aim,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
to  slay  his  adversary;  but  the  Champion,  remem- 
bering the  pathetic  appeal  in  Barbara's  eyes,  sought 

254 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

rather  to  disable  his  opponent,  and  force  him  to  con- 
fess the  falsehood  of  his  accusation. 

At  last  Frederick,  by  a  skillful  and  well-managed 
ruse,  succeeded  in  throwing  his  antagonist  off  his 
guard,  and  making  a  furious  lunge  at  his  left  side, 
drew  back  his  sword,  red  with  the  blood  of  the 
Champion. 

Elated  with  this,  and  eager  to  consummate  the 
victory,  he  lost  his  caution,  and  rushed  madly  for- 
ward, as  if  to  annihilate  his  adversary  at  one  blow. 

But  the  Champion  received  the  stroke  on  his 
shield,  and  taking  advantage  of  Schonberg's  im- 
prudence, returned  it  with  interest,  and  at  one  blow 
stretched  him  on  the  ground. 


255 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Springing  on  him  like  a  tiger  on  its  prey,  heedless 
of  the  blood  that  dripped  from  his  own  wound,  the 
Champion  placed  his  knee  on  the  breast  of  the  fallen 
man,  and  brandishing  his  sword,  cried  in  a  loud 
voice : 

"Confess  your  perfidy,  or  die  by  this  sword !" 

Schonberg  made  no  reply,  but  gazed  on  him 
through  the  openings  of  his  visor  with  a  look  of  hate 
and  defiance. 

"Confess!"  repeated  the  victor,  placing  his  sword 
in  position  to  strike. 

Still  no  answer. 

"Once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  Frederick  von 
Schonberg,  I  offer  you  your  life.  Confess !" 

Again  he  paused,  and  every  breath  was  suspended, 
every  ear  strained  to  catch  the  answer  of  the  doomed 
man. 

But  it  came  not.  The  proud  heart  refused  to 
yield;  and  the  Champion  drew  back  his  sword-arm 
to  give  due  impetus  to  the  death-stroke,  when  he 

256 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

was  startled  by  an  agonized  cry,  and  Barbara  Uhler, 
breaking  from  the  struggling  grasp  of  her  sister  and 
Karl  3teiner,  rushed  frantically  into  the  arena,  and 
clutching  his  arm  with  both  hands,  clung  to  it  with 
all  her  strength.  The  public  place — the  gazing 
crowd — mother,  sister,  wrongs,  insults — all  were 
forgotten  in  the  wild  agony  of  her  love  and  anguish. 
Her  hair  was  disordered,  her  cheek  pale  as  death, 
her  eyes  glowing  with  unearthly  light,  and  her  whole 
frame  quivering  with  emotion. 

The  Champion  lowered  his  sword  point,  but  still 
retained  his  grasp  of  Frederick. 

"Oh,  spare  him!"  gasped  Barbara.  "Give  him 
more  time — he  will  confess — he  must  not  die. 
Spare  him — spare  him !" 

"Fair  maid,"  said  the  Champion,  "it  is  for  your 
sake  alone  that  I  wish  to  spare  him,  unworthy  as 
he  is.  But  you  see  he  is  obdurate — he  will  not  ac- 
cept mercy.  Stand  aside,  I  pray  you,  and  let  the 
sword  of  Justice  do  its  work." 

He  raised  his  weapon  as  if  to  strike ;  but  Barbara, 
uttering  a  faint  cry,  threw  herself  on  the  mailed 
breast  of  Frederick,  with  a  motion  so  quick  and 

257 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

sudden,  that  the  upraised  sword  nearly  entered  her 
body. 

Startled  by  the  movement,  the  Champion  relaxed 
his  hold,  and  Schonberg  sprang  to  his  feet,  support- 
ing with  one  arm  the  unconscious  form  of  Barbara, 
who  had  fainted. 

Expecting  a  renewal  of  hostilities,  the  Champion 
placed  himself  on  the  defensive. 

But  Frederick,  with  an  altered  aspect,  threw  his 
sword  on  the  ground,  and  raised  his  visor. 

"I  yield,"  said  he,  with  deep  emotion.  "I  am 
conquered.  I  confess  my  crime,  and  declare  the 
Widow  Uhler's  innocence.  Believing  you  to  be  my 
rival  in  the  love  of  this  suffering  angel,  I  would 
have  died  sooner  than  confess  to  you.  But  now  I 
know  that  my  Barbara  still  loves  me.  Secure  in 
that  belief,  I  hasten  to  retract  the  words  I  spoke." 

"I  am  glad  to  see  by  this,"  said  the  stranger,  "that 
the  image  of  God  is  not  wholly  obliterated  from 
your  soul.  I  have  hope  of  you  yet — there  is  still  a 
spark  of  honor  in  your  breast." 

Then  turning  to  the  people,  and  raising  his  visor, 
he  cried,  in  a  voice  that  was  heard  to  the  utmost 
limits  of  the  crowd :  "The  Widow  Uhler  is  innocent, 

258 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

and  her  accuser,  Frederick  von  Schonberg,  hereby 
withdraws  the  charge  falsely  brought  against  her." 

A  deafening  shout  of  joyful  acclamation  burst 
from  every  heart  and  lip  among  the  thousands  there 
assembled.  Ladies  burst  into  tears,  and  wept  in  un- 
controllable emotion.  Hands  were  clapped,  hats 
and  caps  were  waved,  scarfs  and  kerchiefs  were  flut- 
tered. The  trumpeters,  so  delighted  were  they, 
blew  an  unbidden  blast  on  their  instruments.  Every 
one  seemed  to  be  trying  to  surpass  his  neighbor  in 
demonstrations  of  joy;  and  the  tumult  was  tre- 
mendous. 

Meantime,  Barbara  still  lay  in  the  arms  of  Fred- 
erick in  a  deep  and  death-like  swoon,  unconscious 
of  the  burning  kisses  with  which  he  attempted  to 
resuscitate  her,  or  the  tender  and  endearing  words 
with  which  he  addressed  her. 

As  the  tumult  continued,  however,  she  slowly 
opened  her  eyes,  and  the  first  object  she  beheld  was 
the  countenance  of  Frederick,  gazing  down  on  her 
with  an  expression  that  recalled  the  first  happy  days 
of  her  love,  and  the  vision  of  beauty  that  had  dawne3 
upon  her,  when  his  foot  first  entered  her  mother's 
cottage  door. 

259 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Bewildered  and  confused,  she  closed  her  eyes 
again,  murmuring :  "Where  am  I  ?  And  what  noise 
is  that?" 

"It  is  the  people  shouting  for  joy  over  your 
mother's  liberation,"  said  he. 

"Is  my  mother  safe  ?  Is  she  free  ?"  said  Barbara, 
attempting  to  raise  herself.  "Oh,  take  me  to  her !" 

He  bore  her  tenderly  to  the  spot  where  the  widow, 
released  from  her  cage,  and  surrounded  by  her 
friends,  was  giving  thanks  to  God  for  her  deliver- 
ance, with  Gretchen  by  her  side,  shedding  tears  of 

joy- 
Barbara  flung  herself  into   her  mother's   arms, 
and  her  feelings  also  found  relief  in  a  flood  of  tears. 
Frederick  turned  away  from  this  affecting  scene, 
and  approaching  the  place  where  his  father  stood, 
a  pale  and  agitated  spectator  of  all  that  had  occurred, 
formally  gave  himself  up  to  justice. 

"I  have  been  guilty  of  the  crimes  of  perjury  and 
false  witness,"  said  he,  "and  am  ready  to  suffer  the 
penalty." 

Until  this  moment,  the  Chief  Magistrate  had  pre- 
served a  calm  and  dignified  demeanor,  giving  little 
outward  sign  of  the  anguish  that  reigned  within. 

260 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

But  now,  when  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  sen- 
tence his  only  and  beloved  son,  his  firmness  gave 
way.  Large  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  and  his 
voice  broke  when  he  attempted  to  speak. 

"Count  von  Schonberg,"  said  the  Champion, 
kindly,  "this  duty  is  too  painful  for  you.  I  would 
suggest  that  you  stand  aside,  and  let  this  gentleman, 
your  deputy,  take  your  place  for  the  present." 

Elated  beyond  measure,  the  little  deputy  ad- 
vanced with  the  air  and  self-satisfied  strut  of  a 
bantam. 

"Frederick  von  Schonberg,"  said  he,  in  a  severe 
tone,  "you  have  been  found  guilty  on  your  own  con- 
fession, of  a  wicked  and  cruel  crime,  by  which  the 
life  of  an  innocent  and  most  exemplary  person  has 
been  placed  in  jeopardy — in  imminent  jeopardy. 
By  those  laws  which  it  is  the  privilege  of  the  mag- 
istrates of  Nuremberg  to  administer,  your  punish- 
ment is — banishment  from  the  city  for  a  period  not 
exceeding  ten  years,  and  the  confiscation  of  all  your 
worldly  goods,  one-half  to  go  to  the  city,  and  the 
other  to  the  injured  person." 

Frederick  bowed  his  head. 
261 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"The  punishment  is  just,"  he  said.  "I  shall  de- 
part immediately." 

"And  I  will  tell  you  where  to  go,"  said  the  Cham- 
pion. "The  armies  of  the  Emperor  are  righting  the 
Turks  on  the  Danube — he  wants  soldiers — if  you 
will  enlist  under  his  banners,  you  may  soon  win  a 
renown  which  will  wipe  out  the  memory  of  this 
transaction,  and  gild  with  glory  the  name  now  so 
sadly  tarnished." 

"I  accept  the  proposal,"  said  Schonberg,  eagerly. 
"Hitherto,  I  have  lived  without  a  motive,  wasting 
my  time  in  frivolity  and  pleasure.  But  now  I  am 
resolved  to  live  for  a  purpose — and  what  purpose 
more  worthy  than  to  fight  the  enemies  of  Christen- 
dom, under  the  brave  leadership  of  our  noble  Em- 
peror— our  beloved  Kaiser  Max?" 

A  flush  of  pleasure  mounted  to  the  cheek  of  the 
stranger,  and  his  eagle  eye  beamed  with  a  softened 
light. 

Turning  to  his  father,  Frederick  took  his  hand, 
and  kissed  it  respectfully. 

"Father,"  he  said,  "farewell.  Forget  the  son  who 
has  so  wrung  your  loving  heart,  and  sullied  with 
crime  the  honorable  name  you  gave  him.  Think 

262 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

only  of  him  wfio  is  fighting  the  battles  of  his  coun- 
try, and  who  will  return  to  you  covered  with  honor, 
or  return  jievermore." 


263 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

The  Chief  Magistrate  grasped  his  son's  hand  in 
silence,  and  turned  away  his  head ;  for  the  dignity  of 
the  magistrate  was  fast  giving  way  before  the  feel- 
ings of  the  father.  Had  Frederick  remained  bold 
and  defiant,  he  might  still  have  maintained  his  firm- 
ness; but  the  humility  and  penitence  of  the  young 
man  unmanned  him,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
he  restrained  himself  from  falling  on  his  son's  neck. 

But  on  a  sudden,  he  felt  some  one  grasp  his  robes ; 
and  on  looking  down,  beheld  the  widow  and  her 
daughters  at  his  feet. 

"O  worthy  Sir!"  said  the  elder  woman,  "let  me 
not,  in  regaining  my  liberty,  be  the  cause  of  break- 
ing a  parent's  heart,  and  sending  into  exile  a  young 
man  in  the  flower  of  his  days.  He  is  penitent — he 
will  yet  be  a  worthy  citizen— oh,  pardon  him,  Herr 
Burggraf!" 

"Pardon  him !"  echoed  Gretchen  and  Barbara,  the 
one  pleading  because  her  mother  pleaded — the  other 
with  her  whole  heart  on  her  lips. 

264 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

A  murmur  of  approbation  ran  through  the  assem- 
bly at  this  generous  interference;  and  a  reaction 
having  taken  place  in  favor  of  Frederick,  cries  of 
"Pardon  him !"  resounded  from  different  quarters. 

The  Burggraf,  much  moved,  raised  Dame  Uhler 
from  the  ground. 

"I  thank  you,  generous  woman,  and  you  also,  my 
friends.  But  it  is  not  for  me,  his  father,  to  pardon 
him,  lest  I  should  be  accused  of  undue  partiality." 

"You  forget,"  interposed  the  Champion,  "that 
you  are  here  a  mere  spectator — that  you  have  re- 
signed your  office  for  the  time  being — and  that  this 
distinguished  gentleman,  your  deputy,  is  at  present 
chief  magistrate  of  Nuremberg.  It  is  for  him,  not 
you,  to  say,  whether  the  culprit  shall  be  pardoned 
or  not." 

The  little  deputy  bustled  forward,  with  his  usual 
aspect  of  self-consequence,  casting  a  look  of  the 
most  condescending  patronage  on  the  Champion, 
who  smiled  quietly,  as  if  inwardly  amused. 

"Frederick  von  Schonberg,"  said  the  deputy,  after 
consulting  for  a  few  minutes  with  his  colleagues, 
"the  magistrates  of  Nuremberg  are  fully  convinced 
of  your  guilt ;  but  believing  you  truly  penitent,  they 

265 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

— that  is,  we — consent  to  remit  your  punishment,  in 
answer  to  the  petition  of  this  most  excellent  woman 
and  her  charming  daughters,  seconded  by  the  voice 
of  the  whole  city.  I  therefore  pronounce  your  par- 
don. You  are  free." 

Again  the  crowd  sent  up  a  deafening  shout,  and 
behaved  as  before  in  an  extremely  excited  manner. 

Frederick  threw  himself  on  his  father's  breast, 
and  remained  for  some  moments  unable  to  speak. 
But  soon  recovering  himself,  he  in  a  graceful  man- 
ner acknowledged  the  intercession  of  the  people  and 
the  clemency  of  the  magistrates;  and  pledged  him- 
self before  God  to  render  his  future  life  worthy  of 
botK. 

He  then  turned  to  the  woman  on  whom  he  had  in- 
flicted so  much  undeserved  suffering. 

"To  you,  dear  mother  of  my  love,  I  know  not 
what  acknowledgments  to  make.  Your  generosity 
overwhelms  me.  But  you  must  allow  me  to  secure 
to  you  by  a  legal  instrument,  that  moiety  of  my  pos- 
sessions which  the  law  allowed  you." 

The  widow  would  have  remonstrated,  but  he 
silenced  her. 

He  then,  with  a  throbbing  Heart  and  a  Hushed 
266 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

cheek,  approached  Barbara,  and  taking  her  hand,, 
raised  it  to  his  lips. 

Frightened,  surprised,  and  covered  with  blushes, 
she  tried  to  extricate  her  hand ;  but  he  held  it  firmly. 

"Oh,  Barbara !  beautiful,  noble,  adorable  Barbara ! 
do  not  turn  from  me.  Here,  publicly,  let  me 
acknowledge  that  I  have  basely  insulted  you — here, 
publicly,  let  me  offer  you  the  only  reparation  in  my 
power.  Dearest  Barbara,  will  you  be  my  wife?" 

Before  the  agitated  girl  could  answer,  the  Cham- 
pion stepped  forward,  and  taking  her  other  hand,, 
turned  to  Frederick. 

"You  are  not  worthy  of  her,"  said  he ;  "and  were 
I  not  thoroughly  convinced  that  she  loves  you,  I 
would  not  consent  to  your  renewing  a  suit  that  has 
caused  her  so  much  pain." 

"You  would  not  consent?"  exclaimed  Schonberg, 
firing  up.  "And  pray  what  right  have  you  to — " 
He  stopped  short,  for  he  had  resolved  to  put  a  curb 
on  his  fiery,  jealous  temper,  and  felt  that  he  was 
transgressing. 

"Believing  that  her  love  is  too  deep  to  be  eradi- 
cated," calmly  continued  the  other,  disregarding  the 
interruption,  "and  trusting  that  the  experience 

267 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

through  which  you  have  passed  will  be  a  warning 
and  a  benefit  to  you,  I  take  it  on  myself  to  answer 
for  this  sweet,  blushing  maiden,  that  she  does  con- 
sent to  be  your  wife — and  a  precious  wife  she  will 
be.  By  the  blood  of  my  fathers!  I  grudge  you 
your  happiness,  and  had  I  not  been  betrothed  to  a 
princess,  would  have  made  a  bold  push  to  win  her 
myself!  There — take  her  hand — and  see  that  you 
use  her  well !  for  remember,  her  mother's  Champion 
has  a  sword  ready  to  draw  for  her  also.  And  now, 
having  settled  matters  so  amicably,  and  having  be- 
sides incurred  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  some  little 
pain  in  this  affair,"  glancing  at  his  undressed  wound, 
which  was  fortunately  a  very  slight  one,  "I  beg  leave 
to  remind  you  that  I  deserve  some  remuneration." 

"Alas!"  said  Barbara,  "how  can  we  ever  repay 
what  we  owe  you?" 

"Nothing  easier;  the  payment  rests  with  you," 
with  a  meaning  look  and  smile. 

"With  me?    And  what  is  it?" 
''  'Tis  this !"  exclaimed  the  Champion,  suddenly 
throwing  his  arm  around  her,  and  snatching  a  kiss 
from  her  lips. 

Covered  with  confusion,   Barbara   shrank  back; 
268 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

while  the  young  man  laughed,  begged  her  pardon, 
and  declared  he  was  amply  rewarded.  Frederick 
glared,  but  said  nothing. 

"And  now,"  said  the  Burggraf,  "tell  us  who  is  the 
mysterious  stranger  who  has  thus  busied  himself  in 
our  affairs,  apparently  without  a  motive." 

The  Champion  hesitated. 

"Nay,  I  would  rather  you  did  not  press  me  to 
divulge  my  name  and  station — for  I  fear  I  shall  be 
laughed  at  as  a  mad-brained  fool,  for  entering  on 
such  a  dangerous  adventure,  and  exposing  a  life  on 
which  so  much  depends,  for  the  sake  of  a  fair  dam- 
sel in  distress." 

"At  least,"  said  Barbara,  "tell  us  your  name,  that 
we  may  remember  it  in  our  prayers." 

"My  name,  sweet  girl,  will  tell  my  whole  story. 
But  I  can  refuse  you  nothing."  He  took  from  his 
vest  a  black  satin  mask,  and  put  it  on.  "Do  you 
remember  this?" 

"In  God's  name!"  ejaculated  Barbara,  starting 
violently.  "Are  you — are  you — " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Champion,  with  a  smile,  as  he 
removed  his  mask.  "I  am  Maximilian  of  Haps- 
burg,  whom  you  met  in  the  Bishop's  palace." 

269 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

Frederick  uttered  a  cry  of  astonishment. 

"By  all  that's  holy !"  he  exclaimed,  "  'tis  Kaiser 
Max  himself!  I  knew  I  had  seen  the  face  before, 
but  could  not  recall  it.  For  who  would  have 
thought  of  such  a  thing? — who,  but  Maximilian? 
Oh,  my  liege!"  kneeling;  "pardon  me  for  having 
shed  the  blood  of  him  for  whom  I  would  gladly 
spend  the  last  drop  of  my  own!" 

"  'Tis  nothing — a  mere  scratch,"  glancing  down 
at  the  drops  of  blood  now  crusted  on  his  armor.  "I 
took  the  risk." 

"I  am  overcome  with  confusion,  to  think  of  your 
Majesty's  condescension,  in  imperiling  your  august 
and  precious  life  against  my  worthless  one." 

"Say  not  so,  Herr  Schonberg.  No  life  that  is 
redeemable  is  worthless.  And  as  God  has  given  you 
the  opportunity  to  redeem  yours,  you  may  make  it 
as  valuable  in  your  sphere  as  my  own  is  in  mine." 

By  this  time  it  was  bruited  around  that  the  un- 
known champion  was  none  other  than  the  Emperor 
himself ;  and  the  greatest  excitement  and  enthusiasm 
prevailed.  A  shout  that  rent  the  welkin  burst  from 
the  astonished  crowd,  as  soon  as  they  could  collect 
their  bewildered  faculties. 

270 


A  ROYAL  KNIGHT. 

"Long  live  Maximilian  of  Hapsburg !"  "Long  live 
our  gallant  Kaiser  Max !" 

"Yes,"  said  the  young  monarch,  "I  am  Maxi- 
milian of  Hapsburg — Emperor  of  Germany,  King 
of  the  Romans,  Archduke  of  Austria;  but  the  title 
which  I  shall  henceforth  hold  in  the  highest  estima- 
tion, is  that  which  I  have  just  acquired  in  the  exer- 
cise of  justice  to  the  oppressed 'The  Widow's 

Champion.' " 

"God  save  the  Widow's  Champion!"  cried  Karl 
Steiner,  throwing  up  his  cap;  and  the  assembled 
multitude  simultaneously  catching  the  action  and  the 
cry,  the  air  was  darkened  with  a  cloud  of  hats  and 
caps,  while  mountain  and  plain  and  forest  and  city 
rang  with  repeated  shouts  of,  "God  save  the 
Widow's  Champion!" 

THE  END. 


271 


A    000  046  200    2 


ill 


I!    I 


